Seduced or Willing?
by Xani
Summary: All she had done was loose her cauldron. Why did her life have to be thrown into utter chaos! What will that one misplacement lead her to? Language, and Drama so if you're a sissy back out now. Please Read and Review.
1. Potions

CHAPTER 1

This is about Ginny and Draco, and they're gradual procession toward friendly-ness. The road is humorous, and scary. All opinions welcome. REVISED.

Ginny had missed a Potions lesson last week and was forced to make it up. Snape, being the jerk he was, decided to put her in class that's a year ahead of her. "I am not the one who felt it necessary to miss this class. However I am the one that decides when and what class you make it up. Consider this next time you feel a bit woozy," Snape had said to her.

Ugh, another very long day awaited her. The pounding of her head matched that of the pounding of footsteps on the floor. "Oh, no" Ginny thought, "Potions."

Ginny's friend Mary had been chatting away at her side as they both walked to class. Apparently Mary's new boyfriend, Alex, had been acting distant or something like that. To tell the truth Ginny wasn't paying much attention. Not because she didn't care or anything, it was mostly because Mary's chatting somewhat resembled that of a squirrel and filled Ginny's mind of squirrels chatting about.

Mary had walked in front of Ginny so as to not get knocked down by a first year with a mission to not be late. Ginny chuckled. Mary had made it into Snape's classroom ahead of her and as Ginny approached the door the most annoying person in the world stood in her way.

"Excuse me," Ginny said through her teeth at the quite imposing figure in front of her.

"Oh, being nice, eh. That's not ganna move me Weasel." The boy replied.

"Shut up and move. D'ya think you can do that, or are you not multi-task?" Ginny replied with a smirk.

"I'm about as multi-tasked as they get, Ginerva." The boy had the other Slytherians laughing behind him due to the suggestive comment.

Ginny just stood there in utter disgust. Then Ginny decided to plow her way down into the class. But the boy didn't move. Mary noticed what was going on and helped Ginny.

"Why don't you just leave girls alone Malfoy." Mary yelled at him

"I am! You two are the ones touching me, not the other way around." Draco remarked still smiling at the struggling girls.

Just then Snape came out from his office and said, "Draco sit down please, Ginerva, Mary 10 points from Gryffindor for being late.

The girl's faces fell, but they didn't argue with Snape. Snape would never hear their side of the story. Ginny and Mary sat down together and took notes on the extremely hard potion that everyone would have to brew for their exam tomorrow. Fortunately the potion was so impossible Snape decided that two people should work on it together.

Of course Snape assigned the groups. Mary ended up with some weird kid whose eyes seemed to bulge out his head and Ginny's name was yet to be assigned. Ginny sat patiently and waited. It was fairly obvious whom Ginny was going to end up with.

"Unfortunately Draco, I must place you with Ginerva. Terribly sorry." Snape said with sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"No problem professor. I'll control her." Draco sat in his seat, and rubbed the chair next to him, making kissing sounds like one would for a dog. Ginny had to move and was completely embarrassed by this.

"Nobody can resist being called like a dog, can they Weasel." Draco said meanly.

"Shut up. Here is what you have to get for the potion. I'll get the rest got it?" Ginny said not waiting for an answer.

"Jeez, no need to get ugly Ginerva."

"Stop calling me that!" Ginny just hated the way he said her name. It disgusted her. It said it with sarcasm and sexual innuendoes lacing through it.

"Oh, you don't like being called..." Draco said low, and then leaned over and whispered in Ginny's ear "...Ginerva."

At that Ginny froze, and chills ran down her spine, Draco was becoming creepier by the second. Just then the class ended and Ginny dashed out of the room, she didn't even wait for Mary. Ginny wanted to be as far away from that place as possible.

In her rush she forgot her caldron. "Damn it" Ginny thought.

1 ----------------------- 1

I've noticed that after this chapter I lose a lot of readers. I know this plot seems gossamer thin right now, but please, give this story a chance. All is not what it seems. Things get crazy, the plot thickens. The writing is, I know, kind of sucky but I wrote this back when I was 13 so give me a break. The quality of writing becomes exponentially higher as the chapters go on, I promise! Don't read the reviews for later chapters unless you want this all to be spoiled. Thank you for reading this, and thanks if you've decided to give this story a chance!


	2. Going Back

A/N: Thank you for giving this a chance! I really appreciate it! A review would be cool but I won't push my luck!

Draco noticed Ginny leaving in such a rush and laughed. "So predictable." he thought. He gathered up his things and then noticed a cauldron that had seen much better days. Draco laughed again. This was Ginny's cauldron. She would have to get it sooner or later. Draco let a small evil smirk pass on his face at this thought.

Ginny walked slowly back to Potions. It was her last subject of the day so it didn't really matter how long it took her. She hoped it would still be there when she arrived.

Ginny saw some familiar faces and all asked her why she was returning to the Dungeons instead of getting the heck out of there. She told them her short story, and they felt bad for her yet still continued on there way.

Ginny could feel a rush of cold air upon entering the classroom and saw that her cauldron wasn't there. She decided to look around, just in case.

"Oh man," Ginny muttered as she franticly looked about the classroom.

"Looking for something?" An all too familiar voice called out.

Ginny looked behind her and saw no one, and continued to spin her head about hoping to find the source of the voice. She found it all right, but her face dropped when she Draco swinging her cauldron by the handle, and leaning up on the wall in the shadowed corner.

"Give it to me Draco." Ginny said as she propelled her hand toward the cauldron.

"If you say it nice, I just might." He replied with a stupid grin.

"Please," Ginny said through closed teeth and a locked jaw.

"Well, that certainly wasn't friendly," Draco said as he eased up on the wall. He walked toward her and stood only 5 feet away, the cauldron still in hand. "Why are you so mean?" he asked innocently.

"I'm not mean." Ginny said stubbornly with a stoic face.

"Okay, let me revise. Why are you so me to me? And don't say 'cuase I'm evil, because that has nothing to do anything."

"Because you're a jerk to me. Now just give me the cauldron." Ginny said as she started to get flustered.

"Hmm...A jerk." Draco walked closer to her and then circled very closely around her. "The way I see it, you me are similar just with different ideas. I mean, we both hate Potter."

"I don't hate Potter." Ginny said surprised.

"Oh, yes you do. The way he treats you, like you're not even there. He's more a jerk than I am if you think about it. I pay attention to you, he ignores you. And you hate him for that." A short pause followed as Ginny thought. "You can't deny it." Draco said.

"I came here for my cauldron, not a mind reading." Ginny said now very angry.

"Fiery hot temper, eh? You need to learn to calm down. Count to 10 backwards, or maybe 100." He continued to circle and that made Ginny feel like prey about to be eaten by a vulture.

"Just give me what I came here for Draco!" She yelled.

"Why did you come here so quickly? You know Snape locks his classroom so you could've picked it up in the morning and not worry about it being stolen. Why did you come alone. Didn't anyone offer. Why did you walk so willingly to here"...Draco stopped circling and whispered in Ginny's ear, "Why did you walk to so willingly to me."

Ginny got the chills and she wanted to run away, but her feet were planted on the floor. Draco turned and looked at Ginny's face. Draco put the cauldron down behind away from Ginny's grabbing range, and stared Ginny in the face.

Then Draco grabbed Ginny by the shoulders and pulled her towards him and he kissed her. He kissed her so hard Ginny thought her lips were bruising. Ginny tried to pull away from him but she couldn't, Draco was just too strong.

Draco pulled away slowly and gently released Ginny from his steel grip. He turned around smoothly, picked the cauldron up and began to walk out of the classroom. Before he left he shouted out to the dazed and confused Ginny, "You can't have your cauldron back, no, not yet."

A/N: I loose readers after this chapter as well. Please continue reading! It will be worth you're while!


	3. Fresh Air

A/N: these are all the old chapters I found! Yay! R/R!

Ginny was left so many unanswered questions and confusing feelings. Did that really happen? Why did he do that? Did I kiss him back? When will I get my cauldron?

Ginny left the classroom quietly and walked back to the Great Hall with something she didn't want. Or did she?

"That went so perfect," Draco thought. In reality he didn't know he was going to kiss her. He felt that by doing such he would seal her confusions and feelings. "It wasn't half bad actually," Draco said aloud by accident.

"What wasn't half bad?" Pansy asked in a seemingly jealous tone.

Draco turned around to face her and replied, "Nothing."

Draco walked to his room leaving behind an annoyed Pansy. "Where did you get that cauldron!" Pansy yelled out to him.

Draco simply replied, "I stole it." At this he smiled.

Ginny didn't tell anybody about what happened. She wasn't quite sure if it did or not. Whether it did or not, she still didn't have a cauldron. Ginny decided to ask Hermione even though Ginny hated her.

Hermione was such a pompus ass, and now since her and Harry were dating Hermione loved to shove it in Ginny's face all the time.

"Hey Hermione," Ginny said walking over to the plush red couch. Hermione was reading a book, of course.

"Hiya Gin. How's everything?" Hermione said, her eyes still in the book.

"Everything in general is good, but my cauldron was stolen today."

"Aww, how terrible," Hermione laughed quite loud just as the words left her lips.

"Hey! That's not funny!" Ginny said, offended.

"No, it's not, you're right. I'm sorry it was a part of this book I'm reading that was amusing, not you're cauldron." Hermione tried to say through giggles.

"What ARE you reading?" Ginny asked and then grabbed the book from Hermione and gasped at what she saw. The book, wasn't a book at all. Inside was a picture of Harry doing stupid things, and saying things. Mean things about Ginny. Harry's mouth moved but no sound came out, his words printed out at the bottom of the picture.

Ginny looked at the book, and a look of pain flashed on her face for a moment.

"Ginny, I'm sorry." Hermione tried to say, but Ginny just looked at the book in utter disgust. There was a moment were Ginny and Hermione said nothing. Hermione was too ashamed to say anything but Ginny had nothing to say.

With the book in her hands Ginny spat on the picture of Harry, and it went through and hit Harry. Then Ginny slammed the book shut.

"Ginny! Ginny wait!" Hermione frantically yelled.

Ginny left the common room and left through the picture frame. Ginny had heard about those things. You could enchant anything, like a newspaper, or a book to have live communication going through. Harry was too engorged in his taunting that he barely realized it was Ginny reading him, and not Hermione.

Ginny just wanted to be left lone. So she walked outside into the open night where no one would bother her.

A/N: don't leave now! Its getting better isn't it! Review please!


	4. A change

A/N: Thanks for staying with me! Thank you to my reviewers! I am in the process of updating all of these chapters to make them cleaner. And I'm doing it just for you! Anyway, read on.

Pansy has to be the most vacuous and annoying girl ever, Draco thought to himself. He walking about aimlessly, listening to the leaves crunch under his feet. The crisp air made a burning feeling in his throat. He ignored it.

Standing next to a very crippled looking tree he spotted Ginny. He watched her change from standing to letting her knees give way and sitting on her butt. Then she let her head fall into her hands and her body shook. Curiosity having overwhelmed the quiet onlooker, he crept up to her.

Draco was standing over Ginny's small form waiting for her to notice. When she did finally she fell back onto her hands. "W-What do you want?" She stuttered.

He let out a little laugh, "Oh, I just came by to discuss a certain cauldron."

Ginny gained some composure and managed to stand up. "Yes, well, I want my cauldron back," she said lamely.

"Yes, I know that," Draco said letting the 'duh' go unsaid. "Why were you crying?"

"That is NONE of your business! You want to talk about a fucking pot, so go ahead right ahead!" Ginny was sure everyone had heard her but she overestimated her yell, though it was quite loud.

"Well, well, someone is moody. I do not feel this is the best of times to talk about the 'fucking pot' so I will leave," he began to walk away.

"No, no no! You have my cauldron. I want it back. Now tell me what you want in return for the cauldron, which is pretty dam crappy by the way so don't expect THAT much for it."

"First, tell me why you were crying," before Ginny could protest her spoke over her, "as part of the exchange."

Ginny looked peeved, she took in a breath and let it out slowly. "I was crying because I was upset." She hoped that being general would be all that was needed. However Draco made a hand movement implying he needed more information than that. "After having lost my cauldron to you, and the…encounter with you,"

"Oh, the kiss you mean?" he cut her off.

"Yes the kiss. After that I wanted to go to my room, I entered the common room and Hermione, that bitch, was making fun of me as usual. Well, no it wasn't her making fun of me, she was just laughing."

Draco coaxed her, his head to the side, "Who was?"

Ginny let out a small laugh, "as if you had to ask. It was Harry. Ya know for some demi- god he's an ass," she said with a laugh.

"And here I thought I was the only one who noticed," Draco thought to himself.

"How about an offer?" Draco asked her.

Ginny looked curious and so he continued.

"You can get back at him. Put that rat in the same position you're in. It'll make him a better person in the end," Draco offered that last part as a rationale for the little Weasely.

"Quid pro quo." Ginny stated emotionlessly knowing there was a downside.

"Don't worry about that," he said almost cryptically.

Ginny knew there were strings, she knew that there were consequences but just then she felt something change in her. She didn't care about the later, she let her reckless side drive and she agreed.

Draco let his evil appear on his face. "Great."

A/N: Continue and review!


	5. What the hell?

A/N: Thanks to my ONE review. I enjoyed it! Yay for me! Anyways, enough of my rambling…

The toast on her plate seemed to look like the shape of England, just a few more bites to the left, Ginny thought. Hermione acted like nothing had happened and Ron was as dim as a dark closet when it came to the tensions between the two girls. Harry was probably still unaware that Ginny had seen him through the book. She happened to glance at Harry and noticed he was groggy and white, not to mention how sensitive he was to sound.

"You alright?" Ginny asked, purposefully loud.

Harry jumped and held his head, letting out a moan he said, "Just a little off."

"Sorry to hear it," Ginny said, again very loud.

Harry held his head harder and just nodded. Hermione put her arm around him and ran her hands through his hair, "aww….poor baby." The sight alone made Ginny want to vomit all over the table and unknowingly she groaned.

"Ginny, don't talk so loud. Aren't you at all sensitive?" Hermione hissed at her.

Before Ginny could say anything Harry spoke up, "She didn't know Herm. I feel like crap and you're cuddly on me, and bitching at people in my ear. Stop!" Harry threw Hermione's arm off of him.

Ron and Ginny both gaped at Harry's display of hostility towards Hermione. It was so unlike him. "I guess I better go," Hermione said about to cry. Harry and Ginny let her go but Ron went after her, just a little worried. Ginny went back to her food and left Harry alone, seeing how agitated he was this morning.

"I hate how mean she is to you."

Ginny could've sworn that was Harry talking to her.

"Sorry."

That sealed it. He WAS talking to her.

"Um, it's okay."

"No, it's really not." Harry turned his head towards her.

"Yea well, some people are just idiots." Ginny said blandly.

"What's with the death glare from Malfoy?" Harry nodded his head in Draco's direction.

"I don't know. He hates you, ergo the stare."

"No, he's not giving it to me. It seems it's towards you," Harry asked suspiciously.

"Oh, aren't you the nosy one." Ginny raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yea," Harry said proudly.

Ginny just shook her head.

"What?" Harry sat up straight and focused his attention away from Malfoy, to Ginny.

"That was a personal question," she paused and looked towards him. "For someone who ignored me so completely for so long," she quipped in a biting voice that just added to the sting of the already harsh retort.

"I'm sorry," he announced. The loudness of his voice startled Ginny a bit. Harry continued on in a rushed voice, "It's just you had such an infatuation with me I didn't know what to do. I thought it best if I left you alone, I don't know, I guess I was wrong." His sincerity was lost in the amplitude of his voice. At this point, people were looking but neither of them cared. They would've heard them even if they were talking in a mere whisper.

"You were," Ginny quickly replied. "I understand that I was overbearing sometimes but you should've just dropped me like that. That made me feel like I was sub human or something. It hurt, it really did."

A long silence passed and just before the returning Ron was in earshot again Harry uttered, "Sorry."

Ginny went walking about the hallways trying her best to find a certain blonde boy. After an hour she did. "Draco!" she shouted down the hallway.

He turned around and little surprised to see her but didn't show it on his face, "Hello Ginerva."

"I hate when you do that."

"I know." He smirked. His hands were kept behind his back and his demeanor was kept casual.

"Why were you giving me dirty looks today?" She raised an eyebrow and then, too, clasped her hands behind her back.

"Who me? Give dirty looks!"

Ginny laughed a little and continued, "c'mon, why?"

"I was under the certain allusion that you hated a certain scarred boy. Yet when I happened to glance in you general direction it appeared you were again enthused by his addressing you."

"Oh, Draco, when you speak all formal I am positively sure that Pansy stares at you like a deer caught in the headlights," Ginny said eloquently. "He apologized."

"What?" Draco had heard him. Half the damn school had heard him. This screwed everything up for him though. Plus, it was better to play dumb than to look too concerned.

Ginny told Draco about Harry's mood with Hermione and what he had said to her.

"So, no more plan then?" Draco said with what could be interpreted as sadness.

"No. An apology is all that is needed for someone to redeem themselves in my books. Granted he's still on my shit list but now I know that he is sorry for being there."

"Well, that's all well and good but what about your cauldron? Did you so readily forget?"

"Right. What do you want for it?" Ginny asked, expecting the worst.

"Nothing," Draco said handing it to her. "Nothing at all," Draco said slyly. He wiped a few loose strands of hair from Ginny's fair face then strode past her, down the hallway.

Ginny was left wondering what in the crazed hell had just happened.

A/N: another chapter! You made it through another one! Oh, but its nice and revised so it wasn't so difficult right? Please review and continue!


	6. Questions and Answers

A/N: Fiction Press isn't letting me upload my other story! But this one did, so lucky you guys! Please Review.

Ginny had avoided Harry for two weeks. Hermione gave Ginny only the dirtiest of looks and Harry had noticed that Ginny didn't want to see him. Ron asked Ginny repeatedly why she was being so weird. Ginny felt like being alone for a little bit, she was just in a funk and all she could do was ride it out. The only person that she had bothered to say hello and had little conversations with was Draco.

"Are you sure aren't coming?" Ginny's friends had been asking her.

Then came her worn out reply, "Yeah, I feel like staying in tonight."

Ginny was twisting her sheets in a huge knot as she moved from side to side. Her insomnia got the best of her, she rose and went down to the fireplace and the couches. She curled up in ball on the couch. She was freezing and she had stupidly forgotten a blanket. Ginny stared into the fire with no real thoughts in her mind. She began to think about when she was little and used to steal her eldest brother's wand and mess around with it, obviously causing some serious damage to her house. She let out a little laugh that was followed by a huge yawn.

Just as she was thinking she needed to get up off her lazy butt to go get a blanket she felt one thrown on top of her. Looking up she was met with the gaze of beautiful green eyes. After a long pause Ginny thanked him.

"I noticed you were shivering," Harry said nonchalantly.

"So." Ginny didn't know what to say.

"So," Harry returned back.

"Oh, the conversations we have," Ginny added humorously. Harry laughed while his head was looking down to the floor.

Harry's head came up again, "What's wrong with you lately?"

"Nothing, just felt like staying in." Ginny shifted to see Harry better as he sat down at the end of the couch.

"Oh, are you angry with me or something?" Harry asked curiously.

His staring at her made Ginny feel nervous for some unknown reason. "No."

"Why are you avoiding me?"

"Not relishing being invisible to me?"

Harry caught onto what Ginny was getting at, "I said I was sorry!"

"Relax, Harry. I'm not doing it to you on purpose," she lied.

"How come Malfoy is getting attention?" Harry betrayed his anger by a flicker in his eyes.

"Oh, wow you are possessive. I almost wish you went back to ignoring me." Ginny turned her head away not wanting to have the conversation and hoping that it would end there.

"You're not going to let that go are you?" He rose from his chair and stood towering over her.

"I'm trying! It's not some instant change!" Ginny protested as she threw the blanket off of her. She was angry at herself for being under it in the first place.

A moment of silence again passed and Ginny was wondering why Harry even cared. He was the one that stopped talking to her after all. Why did he think he could just open her up like a book? Why did he think she would receive him back with no questions asked?

"I was drunk you know." Harry lowered his head. "The whole enchanted book incident I mean. I can't remember much but I do remember being hit with a tremendous amount of spit."

In a hushed voice, courtesy to those still sleeping, Ginny ranted, "So that's why you care? Because you're trying to make up for that! I guess you figured that if you pretended to care then I would just welcome you back and forget everything and my life would be made all the more better because YOU had shown some care and concern towards me!"

Her words were spoken with such fervor that Harry was blown away. She turned her back to him feeling the tears well up in her eyes. She tried with all her might to compose herself but the tears only came faster. She was noiseless so as to not make a scene though no one was there to see them anyway. Harry walked around to the front of Ginny but she just turned around again. After the third try Harry grabbed Ginny by the shoulder and twisted her around. She felt him wrap his arms around her much smaller frame. She was pressed up to him so much so that she could not get her arms out from face to return the hug. Harry didn't seem to care though.

Ginny's head rested on his chest and the even, natural beats of his heart calmed her down finally allowing her to hug him back. She hated him, she did! Her mind was screaming at her to push away, go to bed and think of anyone besides him. She forgot about that crush long ago why was she there? She didn't why but she couldn't help getting lost in the moment…

A/N: Please review!


	7. Scared?

A/N: No worries my readers! This IS a D/G fic. You just need to sit and read patiently. Thanks for the reviews! Yay!

Ginny was sitting her Defense Against the Dark Arts class staring at her hair that clumped in her hand trying to pick out any odd colored strands, she found ONE white one. The nice moment with Harry had happened two weeks ago and her and Harry talked a little but not a lot. She figured out why she was there that night. She wanted closure. And that's all.

Finally the class was over and Ginny ran out of there not wanting to spend another minute inside the school. Ginny was walking around aimlessly for a while until saw a certain Slytherin boy.

"Hi," Ginny said.

"Well, look who's skipping classes." Draco fell in step with her.

"Oh well," Ginny shrugged. "I needed to get out. It was so stuffy in there," Ginny explained pointing to the school.

"I know." The leaves were still on the ground but now their colors were much more vibrant. "Today would be a great day for flying."

Ginny just nodded her head.

"You up for it?" Draco asked stopping in front of her.

"What? Flying? I'm not a huge fan of it. I fell off once and now I just do it when I have to," Ginny shifted her feet uneasily.

"Well, if you fall of the broom you have to get right back on," Draco demanded more than asked.

"I don't know," Ginny said looking down. Draco grabbed her wrist and led her towards the Quiditch field. He broke into the storage closet on the side of the locker rooms and grabbed out two brooms.

"Oh, you bad boy," Ginny said playfully. She smiled as he made a mock arrogant face, or was it?

"Now, get on," Draco demanded.

"Okay." She carefully slung one leg on either side of the broom.

"Now kick off." And with that Draco lifted up from the ground.

"Um, alright." Ginny really didn't want to do this but continued on. She kicked up only three feet from the ground.

"Higher!"

"No!"

Draco moved even higher. "Ever time you say no, I'll move higher!"

"So?"

"Well if someone sees you they'll blame you for the closet." She didn't respond. "You'll get detention!"

Ginny wasn't a fan of detention, no one was, but she still didn't want to go any higher. "No!"

"Fine!" Draco rose impossibly higher.

Ginny let out a long breath. Draco moved even higher. He shouted back down again, "I should've known a Weasely couldn't fly!"

Ginny was so infuriated by this statement, "I'll show you!" Ginny flew up to Draco with such speed that wind gusts made her eyes water. She had to get up there to kill him! She made it there and, when she did, she smacked him so hard that Draco nearly fell off from his broom.

"I can so fly!" She yelled defiantly.

"I knew that if I pissed you off enough you accomplish anything just to spite me." Draco laughed.

"Well, old hatred dies hard. Oh Merlin!" Ginny exclaimed as she gripped her broom noticing how high she was.

"Calm down. Just forget that you're afraid."

"I am not afraid," Ginny said defiantly.

"Good, I didn't think so," he responded a little sarcastically.

"How can you forget that you're afraid?" Ginny still had a death grip on her broom.

"Remember what flying was like before your accident. We'll start off slowly."

Ginny nodded and she flew parallel to Draco who was turning his over constantly to see Ginny's reactions. They were going slowly and cautiously getting exponentially faster. After a while Ginny regained her confidence and was trying her best to not look down.

"See? We're at a normal speed now. Are you still scared?"

"I told you before, I'm not scared!"

"Really?"

"I'm just….timid that's all."

"Sure," Draco rolled his eyes at her.

"Hey! I'm just as NOT scared as anyone!"

Draco laughed mentally at how easily Ginny would do something if it proved something to someone else. He continued to tease her by speeding up in jolts making her do the same. After a couple of times of doing that the two were in a race of sorts. Ginny was copying everything that Draco did. He would dive down steeply, shot up vertically, and go up and down in little spirals challenging Ginny to do the same. She did, and very well he might add.

Since Ginny was behind him her couldn't see that she was steadily declining. A feeling of panic rose up but he shot it down with his disciplined calm. He followed down after her and landed not long after her.

"Are you o-" Draco began but Ginny hit him with tirade of fists.

"You jerk! I could've died! Did you see what I was doing all the way up there! What the hell were you thinking?" Ginny ranted a bit more and then finally letting out a huge sigh. She ran her hand through her hand and paced a bit.

"It was great wasn't it?" Draco asked cockily.

Not that Ginny wanted to agree with she reluctantly agreed, "Yea, it was." She looked up from the sky and then looked down at Draco who was still smiling. Ginny was so pleased with herself! She had flown and not only that she had flown well! The happiness was spilling over and Ginny couldn't contain herself, she let out a scream and tackled Draco with an enormous hug.

Draco was so taken aback, literally as well as figuratively, that his arms flew up in the air then came down crashing around Ginny. The two of them did a sort of hug dance lifting one foot as the other foot stayed planted on the ground. Ginny broke from the hug by jumping back on her broom and flew off.

"Scared?" She screamed back.

Draco smiled and not being one to walk away from a challenge he got onto his broom and chased after her.

A/N: Draco seems awfully nice for someone is supposed to be: dun Dun DUN: evil! Gasp! Another revised chapter, so nice and clean! Please review and please continue reading!


	8. Ravenclaw entertains All

A/N: I felt bad and I was bored so I decided to give you ANOTHER whole chapter. There's been a lot of Ginny so now let's move to Draco. Please review. Thank You.

Draco arrived at his common room late that night due to the detention he had received from the day prior. He was flying with Ginny and not in class, however you would think that was the problem. You'd be wrong. The reason he got detention was because during the flying Draco and Ginny started throwing rotten vegetables at the windows of the classrooms. On top of the vegetables being extra rotten, they were enchanted to scream bloody murder when hurled and made a grunting noise when they smacked against the windows. Draco laughed remembering what great fun it was to bother all those damn teachers.

"You were out late," A girl said behind Draco who was walking to his room.

"Pansy you were always the observant one."

"What did you do this time?" Pansy made her way to the front of Draco.

"The usual," was his clipped response.

"Oh, I see. I didn't know that flying around with a Weasely was usual."

Draco let out an exasperated sigh, "What are you getting at Pansy. I'm very tired so in the interest of saying time just tell me."

"You know what I'm aiming at Draco Malfoy." Pansy encircled him letting her finger trace a circle around his body.

"I don't have time for this," he said about to storm off.

Pansy stopped him by saying, "You like her." Her voice was cool and even. She was pretending so hard not to care. But Draco could see through that tired act.

"You're pathetic." He continued on.

"I'm not the one who's chasing after a Weasely!" She shouted at him.

Draco stopped in his tracks and went back to Pansy. He stood so close that their noses almost touched. "I'm only going to say this once. I do NOT have any lustful feelings for her."

Pansy stood there thinking of a retort. "Well, she wouldn't do it anyway. Everyone knows she has the hots for scar boy."

"Sometimes when I think you have stooped lower than even I could," he turned away from her, " your surpass yourself."

"I'm not the one who is teasing some poor girl by making her think that anyone is interested." The war of the words had begun.

"Pansy, you're jealously is easier to see than your botched boob spell."

Pansy's face went red and she was ready to kill him. Seeing that she couldn't win this battle with words she took it to a different level. "Oh, so you think they're fake?"

"I know they're fake. The last time we were together one of them deflated right in my hand!" Draco let out a little laugh, after all that was a pretty funny experience.

"They're much better now. Let me try again," Pansy begged seductively.

"I'm not falling for that again." Draco began to turn away.

Pansy ran after him and whispered into his ear all the things she had in store for him. Giving in to her temptations he kissed her. Pansy, in a last ditch effort to make sure he would go all the way, whispered into his ear: "You can pretend if you want."

The next day in the Great Hall Draco was half dead. His body was screaming at him to go back to sleep. The romp with Pansy really took a lot out of him. He was picking at his bland food. Pansy, who was sitting next to him, was chatting insistently about something or other and in his mind her voice slurred into a high pitch squeak. He led a silent battle within himself to ignore it. He was losing.

Fortunately enough for him an owl had come for him and plopped its delivery in the middle of is food making a sickening 'gaawop' noise when it landed. 'Note to self,' Draco thought, 'never eat food that can double as a science enigma.' The owl was from his father:

_Draco,_

_I am expecting you to come home this weekend._

His father wasn't one for long letters that barely grazed the point. He was a more concise man and therefore had 'no tip toeing around it' letters. So what the letters lacked actual concern or sincerity? Not that Draco wanted anything resembling a relationship with his dad but Draco couldn't help being a sucker for a letter that contained more than three sentences.

"What's the letter about?" Pansy asked.

"Nothing. Just going home for the weekend." Draco folded the letter up and put it in his front pocket. Before Pansy could ask him anything more on the topic a fist fight erupted over at the Ravenclaw table.

All eyes turned to watch it and Draco was grateful for the distraction. 'Nothing like a good brawl every now and again,' Draco thought to himself.

A/N: This one was in pretty good shape. It was cleaned up some. Please Review! And continue! Thank you.


	9. Better Than Pudding

A/N: A BIG THANK YOU to Moonlight Princess for her review. In response to her: yea, I know but some girls really like having sex, it's just who she is. There's always a girl like that out there. Now back to the story. Yea, I made up the 'Mary' character because I could!

The two girls were giggling on Ginny's bed. "No way!" Ginny said through her laughs.

"Yes." Mary had just told Ginny one her embarrassing stories. "Haven't you ever done something outrageous for a crush?"

Ginny stopped laughing, "No. I was one of those stalker crushes. Looking back it seems so stupid."

"I shocked everyone at the hotel. Let me tell you, no one wanted to be anywhere near that pool after that."

Ginny laughed again just imagining it. "One of your more dainty moments."

"Shut up!" Mary threw a pillow at Ginny. Ginny just laughed harder.

Sometime time later, after Ginny had let Mary's story go, Mary asked: "Don't you hate it when I room of people turn and look at you. I mean all those eyes just glaring, it's unnerving."

Before Ginny could say anything a voice called out, "Ginny wouldn't have a clue what being the center of attention is like."

Ginny and Mary both turned around to see who had chimed into their conversation. There was Hermione, standing in the corner leaning on the wall with a malicious grin on her face. She pushed herself off the wall and walked over to the girls.

"I didn't ask your opinion Herm." Ginny stared into her face wanting to beat the living hell out of her.

"I'm right though." Hermione crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Who cares? It was just a dumb question. Forget that I said it," Mary said trying to dodge the catfight that could ensue.

"No, Mary, it's quite the interesting topic. She doesn't think I could do it. Do you Herm?" Ginny rose up off the bed.

"I know you can't." Hermione let her hands fall to her sides.

"That sounds a little like a challenge." Ginny competitive side was shining through and there was no way she was going back down.

"You could take it that way, sure." Hermione turned on her heel and walked to away from the two saying, "Though I highly doubt you could come through. Still I suppose we should set terms."

"Wow, look at the time! Let's get ready for bed Gin." Mary was still trying to stop the warring girls.

"Quiet Mary. What terms?"

"Well you have to make yourself the topic of discussion for the whole school, like when those two Ravenclaws beat each other up on Tuesday-"

Mary interrupted Hermione by asking: "Oh yea, what was that about?"

"Pudding," Ginny answered quickly.

"No way! Pudding?" Mary prodded

"Long story short, it was charmed pudding."

"Like I was saying," Hermione continued, "So Ginny Weasely must be the gossip and a room full of people must see you. I don't care what it is you'll do, anything goes. But you have to do it tomorrow."

"When I win you have to keep your pompous, condescending self away from me."

Hermione walked back to Ginny and stood only inches from her face, clearly excited. "When you lose," Hermione emphasized, "you have stay out of my life. That means sitting somewhere else in the Great Hall, no hanging out with me, Ron and Harry. None of that. Am I making myself clear?"

"Crystal." In fact I can see right through you, Ginny thought. She didn't want to win to stay in Hermione's life, that might actually be a blessing in disguise, but she really wanted to put Hermione in her place.

"Shake on it."

The two girls shook hands and Mary stood there with a face contorted with worry.

Ginny spent the whole night thinking of what would cause a commotion. She thought of everything from throwing food at Dumbledore to vomiting. Nothing she thought of seemed good enough. Some hours later a grand thought hit her. She smiled in delight and played the scene in her head.

Ginny was only a stones throw from the Great Hall that morning but it felt like she was a mile away. Her stomach got butterflies and her heart was racing. She cleared out her mind and followed some advice she had recently received: 'forget that you're scared' she heard Draco say in her mind. Slowly her body calmed and her heart was beating normal. Confidence poured into her being and when she opened her eyes she smiled at the Great Hall in front of her.

Draco was enjoying a granola bar he had conjured choosing to skip on another breakfast experience. He was feeling pretty good and was prepared for a good day. He was in the middle of a conversation with Pansy about the upcoming DADA test.

"So, dragons aside, that's it," he asked. He heard Pansy agree. "I," Draco paused looking up to see Ginny enter the Great Hall. All his thoughts stopped as he noticed she wasn't walking to her usual spot at the Gryffindor table. It was almost as if she was walking towards him.

"Draco? Hello!" Pansy tried to get his attention but it was useless, Draco's mind was no where near earshot of Pansy.

Ginny had a determined look on her face and her eyes were glued to where he sat. She was walking with such confidence that she was almost cocky. Her glasses were not on, presumably replaced by contacts, her hair was let down and was in its natural wavy state. Some make up had been applied but well. She had a sly grin on her face and continued on towards him.

She finally reached him and forced herself in a spot next to him. Taking a suspenseful but brief pause she stared into his eyes. Then she leaned in and her soft lips made contact with his. Ginny let a little tongue in but not too much. The kiss was intense and passionate because of the surprise, confusion and grandness surrounding it. She slowly broke away and rose from the seat to walk to her own table.

Everyone, some teachers even, had noticed Ginny's little display. Ginny couldn't decide in her head who was more surprised, everyone there showed looks of shock. Just as calmly as she had walked in Ginny strode towards her normal spot. She sat down and took a sip of her pumpkin juice. When she realized Harry, Ron, Mary and Hermione were staring at her she put her glass quickly and said apologetically, "How rude of me! Good morning everyone."

"What was that?" Ron asked heatedly.

"A salutation." Ginny responded cheerily.

"What the f-" Ron began but Harry stopped him.

"Ron, calm down. Ginny?" Harry stared at her incredulously.

"Yes Harry." Ginny looked up from her toast.

"Uh, are you feeling okay?"

"Yes, I feel great. Why, do I look sick or something?"

"No, you look damn sex-" Harry was jabbed by Hermione, "I mean, you look fine."

"Thanks, I felt that I couldn't pull off the glasses anymore. So I figured what the hell?" Ginny went back to nibbling her toast and drinking her juice.

Meanwhile on the other side of the Great Hall:

"What was that about?" one of the guys sitting near Draco asked.

"I have no idea." Draco was still dazed.

"It looked fucking awesome! Err, minus the fact it was a Weasely." Some other kid said.

"It was," Draco said under his breath. He was supremely confused and wanted so much to ask Ginny right then and there what was going on. He suppressed the urge and avoided the nasty glares from Ginny's brother. He happened to notice the confused look on scar boy's face whose gaze darted back and forth from him to Ginny.

When Draco caught Harry's look, Draco smiled smugly as if he knew exactly what was going on.

'This will be interesting,' Draco thought to himself.

A/N: Please review!!!!!!


	10. Get Used to It

A/N: I hope for more reviews. But oh well. I know I messed up Ginny's real name, sorry. I will revise...sometime.

Ginny was making her way to her first class enjoying the attention she was receiving. She could barely make it two steps without someone asking her about the scene at breakfast. She just smiled and continued on. It was like being a celebrity or something. "God and all I had to do were kiss some boy." Granted that Ginny publicly kissing people isn't the norm but the boy she kissed really made it hot news. The rest of her day wasn't much different from the beginning. Ginny was hoping to talk to Draco about the whole fiasco. "Oh well! He made me wonder; now it's his turn." Ginny made it to the common room late that night because she was busy serving detention for being late to, not one, but all her classes.

When she finally made it to the portrait the Fat Lady scolded her, "young girls shouldn't go around kissing any boy that feel like." Ginny told her to shut up and open the door. The common room was surprisingly quiet. She had thought there would be more people asking her about that morning. There were, however, some people in the room. Ron was standing with his arms folded across his chest looking quite pissed, Hermione was sitting on the couch her back to Ginny (like always, Ginny thought) and Harry was leaning on the desk across from Ron, he too wasn't displaying the happiest of expressions.

"Hello all." Ginny stood in the middle of the room knowing that she wouldn't get any further than that.

"Ginny, I am not in the mood for playing around. Please explain to us all why you kissed Malfoy." Ron more like demanded that asked.

Ginny knew that she could easily get out of this by putting the blame on Hermione but being the bigger person she accepted her consequences. "I accept full blame for the kiss. I am very tired so I'm going to bed. Good night!" Ginny walked over to the stairs. Harry's arm reached out and gently grabbed Ginny's shoulder.

"Ginny what's wrong?" Harry said in what could be an actually concerned voice.

Ginny looked at Harry's arm to her shoulder then back at his face. "Nothings wrong. For me, everything is fine. Maybe things are wrong for you, maybe you don't like other people noticing me, maybe you don't fancy the fact that I have my own life outside of you, or maybe it's that I have my own secrets, my own stories. You should get used to being left out Harry, I know I did." Ginny walked on and Harry's arm fell down to his side. The room was silent.

Draco never did see Ginny that day but he had to go home for the weekend. His house was about as cold and as empty as ever. The reason why he was even here was still very much unknown to him. He did notice that there was no house elves running around, nothing being clean, nothing being cooked. His house was at a complete standstill. After avoiding his father for a good two hours he was found.

"Draco! Get in here!" His father called out.

"Coming," Draco said in a dejected voice. He reached his father's study. The books had seemed to get even dustier if possible and the natural light was blocked out by heavy curtains. The only source of light came from a lamp in the middle of the room.

"How is school?"

"School is going well." Draco stood at the entrance his father was sitting in a crimson chair that had seen better days.

"Good." A long pause followed his father's half hearted comment. "I'm leaving on a special assignment tonight. I just thought I'd tell you in person."

"For how long?"

"Who knows? This house will be your responsibility and I fully expect to see it in tip top condition. The house elves will be here while you're at school during the week but I should hope you come home for most weekends." His father hadn't made eye contact with him.

"Where will you be?"

"You know I can't tell you that."

"I know, I know," Draco said in a low voice.

"Well, it's about time for me to go." His father rose from his chair and gathered a few of the books into his cloth satchel. He put on his gloves and jacket painfully slow and Draco just stood in the doorway. His father walked right passed him and shouted back once he was down the stairs: "Don't forget to visit your mother!"

"I won't."

Draco had almost forgotten how large his house was. The empty rooms reverberated his steps on the cold wooden floors. He paced back and forth throughout the house looking into every room, missing his mother's influence on it. Nothing in his house even hinted at the fact she was once there. All of her pictures and paintings were taken down soon replaced by a tapestry or just left blank.

Draco decided to occupy his time at his house by reading and finishing his homework. Eventually he became tired and dumbly walked to his room. He never slept in any other room in the house besides his own. As soon as his body hit the bed he was asleep. However tonight he would receive no sleep. Intense dreams occupied his mind. They varied from long to short, sweet to sad, terrific to terrifying. The dream he most remembered was only really half remembered considering he only knew the ending. He was knocked off his broom and was falling from the sky. He hit the bed and woke up breathing heavy and sweating profusely. Draco immediately rose from bed and went to bathroom. He turned the faucets as cold as they would go and jumped into the shower. If he had opened his eyes he sure that he would see sharp, tiny shards of ice pelting his body leaving behind only a red reminder.

He knew this weekend was only getting longer.

A/N: please review, I would really appreciate it.


	11. Juicyness!

A/N: I just made up more people because I don't know a lot of the people in Gin's class. Yell if you want but I can so do that.

The weekend looked like it was going to be dull for Ginny. That day she had mainly stayed in her room, refusing to leave. Homework occupied some of her time but the majority was consumed by annoying thoughts and pondering. She wondered why everyone cared about her life, why Ron was such a psycho about her and boys, but mostly why Harry gave damn. He was the biggest wonder. First he ignores her, completely and wholly, never once giving her two thoughts. Now he makes it his business to know what she is doing, where and with whom. It was so annoying; it was like have two Ron's. She knew that Ron was just looking out for her, and the same could be assumed for Harry but if that was true he would've cared before too. "He has enough excitement for two lifetimes why does he need to bud into my life?"

Figuring that it would better to not attract flies, Ginny took a shower. The water was warm and Ginny was fully enjoying the decent water pressure and temperature. Then the water went ice cold. Ginny screamed and jumped out of the shower feeling put out. Figuring that she had been in the shower enough she walked towards her towel and by doing so she had looked up. Another scream escaped her lips and she tore down the shower curtain to cover herself.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" Ginny exclaimed.

"I didn't know you'd jump out naked!" Harry shouted back.

"Oh, what? Am I supposed to take showers with my clothes on?"

"Well, no but-"

Ginny interrupted him, "Why are you in here."

"It was just supposed to be a joke. I was going to walk out and laugh about it later with you but then you screamed and jumped out and I turned around, I don't know why but I did. I'm sorry," Harry said, in a rushed voice.

"Well you should be!" Ginny was livid, she could kill him right now. He was still standing there for minute and Ginny couldn't stand it and screamed, "Get out!"

"Right." Harry blushed and ran from the room.

Ginny spent the next 20 minutes in the bathroom calming down, along with doing basic bathroom stuff (brushing, teeth hair,). She walked downstairs praying that Harry wasn't there and thank God that he wasn't. Seeing that there was still a good amount of day left Ginny decided to walk around.

Fall had given way to winter with bare trees and huddled people. Snow had yet to fall but it was almost as cold her shower, Ginny thought. "Almost," she had said aloud laughing. It was pretty funny but still a little annoying. She was just dreading the next, or any encounter that might occur between her and Harry since that incident. Who wants to have _that_ conversation? While on her walk Ginny ran into some friends and hung around with them for the rest of the day. Later on her and her Gryffindor friends went back to common room to continue the fun. They all stumbled in laughing however the laughter from Ginny ended when she noticed her favorite people all there in the room.

"Hey guys," Ginny said out of politeness. Her friends took her lead and said hello too. They were greeted back.

One of Ginny's friends suggested that they all play a game and Ginny thinking that it would just be their group agreed.

"What game?" Mary asked.

"A board game?" Colleen suggested.

"No, something fun," Ginny answered.

"Something fun....Truth or Dare?" Tara offered

"Oh, c'mon that's soooo played out," Mary said.

"Yea, I gotta go with Mary on that one," Ginny agreed.

"What else do we got?" Tara asked. After the pause the same person continued, "See! Truth or Dare it is."

"Fine," they all finally decided.

"Sounds great."

Ginny tuned around to see that Ron had answered. "You're playing?"

"Why not? Me, Herm and Harry."

"I didn't know you guys liked this game," Ginny said flatly and clearly uninterested.

"Well we do," Hermione answered. Ginny was shocked because Hermione wanted to be as far from Ginny as possible usually, why this sudden interest? It was the power of Truth or Dare, Ginny decided.

So there was Ginny, Mary, Colleen, Hermione, Tara, Ron and Harry all in a circle on the cold stone floor. 'This was such a dumb idea,' Ginny thought to herself.

"Tara goes first because she suggested it." Colleen said.

"Okay, whose my first victim," Tara said menacingly.

'Oh no,' Ginny thought.

"Mary! Truth or Dare."

Mary asked for truth of course.

"Who was your first?" Tara stared at her intently.

"Kiss?"

"If you haven't had sex, then yes."

"The first boy I kissed was, I think, a boy who lived across the street from me when I was little."

"Name?" Tara pushed.

"Erik. I pick Colleen."

"Truth."

"What was the lowest you've ever scored on a test?" Mary asked thinking that it was incriminating and humiliating but clearly not.

"Umm, 38 or something like that."

"Ha!" Mary said satisfied.

"Yea, I pick Hermione."

"I chose truth."

'Duh,' Ginny thought.

"How far have you gone with a boy at this school?"

Ginny stared at her very interested in the answer.

"I've had sex." Hermione didn't even blush.

The shock set in and then Colleen asked, "Who with?"

Then Hermione looked right at Ginny and answered, "Harry."

Harry blushed as the whole grouped stared at him, even Ron. "You didn't tell me that!"

"I pick Ron." Hermione said.

"Dare. But I take the incest clause." The incest clause stated 'no dares could consist of but limited to: any way, shape, or form, any sort of sexual actions, words, motions with a relative, distant and/ or close.'

"Fine. Okay, it's a dumb one but, kiss....her," Hermione said pointing to Mary.

"My name is Mary," Mary said sharply.

"Yea, her."

So an apprehensive Mary leaned in to a not so fazed Ron. Just like that it was over and Ron said, "My turn. I pick Ginny."

"I know better than to take a dare from you."

"Truth it is. Have you consumed anything that could be considered a drug?" Ron learned how to ask Truth questions from George who was master of the game.

"Nope. Sorry to disappoint."

"Are you sure?" Ron asked.

"Yes I am. I pick Harry."

Harry chose the safe route, "Truth." Or was it?

"Tell us all about your sex experience with Hermione." Ginny demanded with a devilish grin on her face. 'Pay back time,' she thought.

"That's not a question!" Harry rebelled.

"Doesn't have to be a question, right Ron?" Ginny kept her eyes on him.

"Sorry mate but she's right."

Harry turned back to Ginny and looked down. "I don't remember."

"What?" Ginny asked disappointed.

"I don't remember," Harry said louder, "I was under the influence of what I thought was Butter beer." He was bright red.

Ginny's disappoint was gone seeing how juicy this whole game had gotten. "Really?"

"Yes. Is that enough or do you want to embarrass me some more?" Harry asked looking very pissed off and sounding it too.

"Boy, for someone who doesn't mind dishing out the embarrassment you sure can't take it." Ginny remarked referring to earlier that day.

"What?" Colleen asked.

Ginny realized what she had just said and quickly regretted it. "It was stupid of me to say. I'm sorry." She was hoping everyone would leave it at that.

"This game is stupid," Harry said still angry, if not more so, and rose from the floor. "I'm going to bed."

The game ended as everyone left.

"I liked it," Mary said glowing still very happy about her kiss from Ron.

"Goodnight Mary."

"Get some sleep Gin," Colleen said as she went upstairs with Mary and Tara.

"Yea, later."

A/N: Okay, yea Truth or Dare is the single most overused game in writing but I used it. Fine! But it still conveyed some much needed points. I would like to get some reviews people. So if you want updates, then you should review otherwise I put in cliff hangers all over the place, and I'd hate to do that because I hate them with a passion. So, PLEASE REVIEW. Thank you.


	12. Still Images

A/N: I finally found some down time! YES! Anyways, I feel kind of bad for throwing a game of Truth or Dare your way. That's so played out. Anyways here's the next installment.

Ginny fell asleep easily but woke up shortly after her eyes had closed. Her body was feeling really hot. She flung her comforter off and lied on her bed taking up every inch of it. She fell back asleep with a bit of a pain in her head. She slept soundly until noon the next day.

When she finally rose up from her bed she looked around groggily. No one was left in the room and the fire had burnt out. Ginny did a little victory dance right there in her bed thankful that Hermione was not in her immediate sight. After that she did her routine bathroom tasks, minus a shower still cautious over what happened the previous day.

She sauntered on downstairs in the common room and plopped down on the crimson couch intending to stay there the whole day. She had a lot of homework to do but all could be done while she maintained her position on the couch. She picked up her text book, some paper and dove right in.

Ginny was only about an hour in before she took a break. Her hand was screaming in protest of all the writing she was doing. Some several yawns and sighs later she peeked over the couch to see if anyone was in the room. She hadn't noticed earlier because she wasn't quite awake yet. She scoured the left side of the room and finding no one there she looked towards the right. Her heart sank and her body slumped. "Afternoon Harry." Ginny tried to be as polite as possible knowing that you get more with honey than with vinegar. Harry didn't respond. He didn't look at her. He just sat in the wooden chair concentrating on the book in front of him. Ginny couldn't take his silence so she continued, "Hello?" Seeing that didn't work she began to make funny faces accompanied by weird noises.

Harry had broken a smile and was holding in his giggles. "Damn it Gin."

"What did I do?" Ginny asked innocently.

"Here I am sitting quietly being all pissed off at you and then you go and ruin it."

"Sorry."

Finally he looked up from whatever he was looking at. "I'm over it."

Ginny wanted to get straight to the point, "Why did you get angry with me last night?" That was a question that had actually bothered her.

Harry's smile left is face. "Because, Truth and Dare is dumb."

"Right."

"You didn't have to bring up the shower."

"How could I not? Honestly Harry you pranked me and then you get to be upset about it. That's not the way things work ya know."

"Not everything goes as planned."

"What the hell does that mean?" Ginny's interest peeked.

"It means that I wasn't supposed to flush the toilet. It means you weren't supposed to be in the shower."

"Who was?"

"Ron was the original flusher and then backed out. Mary was the girl that we planned on being in the shower."

"Ron and Mary?" Ginny thought it was so cute it that perverted sort of way.

"Yeah, Ron's had a crush on her and we hoped the feeling was mutual."

"It is." Ginny paused. "That doesn't really answer my question though very juicy. What are you upset about?"

"It's not about the shower. It's about last night, when you made me tell everyone about Hermione and me."

"Hey now, I didn't make you do anything. What you said, was said freely. You're just trying to pin the blame on me because it's convenient."

Harry had been beaten. He returned to his book and Ginny to her work. They sat there doing their tasks as others came in and out, to and fro. Harry and Ginny didn't move though. They were still images in a moving picture.

A/N: Sorry it's so short! I need inspiration and while I'm waiting I'll go sleep. Thank you for reviews on previous chapters. Please review this one.


	13. Oscar

A/N: I was recently reading over some of the previous chapters and noticed some grammatical errors and such. Sorry about that, I plan to replace them with nice, clean chapters. Thank y'all for bearing with me. I think I might add another made up character for comic relief. Review and tell me what you think.

DISCLAMER: I do not own Harry Potter; if I did I wouldn't be writing any of my stories for free. I do claim ownership over myself though and the made up characters.

The air was perfumed and everywhere you looked there was some sort of color. The bright green couch that Draco was sitting on must've been designed for looks only. The cushions of that obnoxious couch were as hard as the hobs of hell. He began shifting his weight back and forth trying to settle into a decent position.

"Draco, don't fidget," his mother said in response to his futile attempts of comfort.

"Yes mom."

"Oscar dear! Come downstairs!"

'Great,' Draco thought. Oscar was his mother's new boyfriend. His mother decided that she was sick of being 'mistreated' with his father so she left. She got a new house, new man and new life. Draco wanted no part of any of it.

"So this is the son I have heard so much about," Oscar said cheerily as he came down the stairs fixing his tie. He offered his hand to Draco and Draco accepted it. "Good strong shake son."

"So, Oscar, what do you do? My mother doesn't often talk about you." Draco craftily noted.

"Oh, well I am a teacher."

"And what do you teach?"

"Well sit back down and I'll tell you all about it."

About an hour later Oscar was still performing his speech on how he became a teacher. He left out one important detail throughout the whole thing. He had never said what it was that he taught. Draco was sincerely annoyed with the man and couldn't begin to fathom what his mother saw in him.

"...and that's when I met your beautiful mother," Oscar said in a slow voice as he gazed over at the bashful woman.

"Oh, Oscar," she said as she reddened.

"Hey! I am the one and only son sitting right over here!" Draco said loudly so the both would stop their disgusting flirtation.

The two backed off. "Sorry, sometimes I get lost in the moment." Oscar gazed over at Narcissa again with the same look of romance.

Draco noticing this jumped in, "So, you were telling me about your job."

"Oh, right. Well that was pretty much the story. I mean, we met, fell in love, and now I'm meeting you."

"Oh, you forgot to tell him what you teach," Narcissa jumped in.

"Right. I teach European History in a university."

Draco stared at Oscar detesting every bit about him: his stupid light brown sweater vest and his bright green tie but most of all his ridiculous glasses that curled all the way around his ears. On top of all of his dressing faults this man was teacher at a regular university. The thought burned like fire in his head but having been taught better he didn't show any of his opinions on his face or in his voice.

"Draco honey, will please bring out more coffee from the kitchen?"

"Surely mom." Draco rose and strode into the kitchen. It was so quaint and cozy Draco wanted to vomit. "Mom, I can't find it." Draco lied while staring right at the coffee pot.

"Be right back darling," Narcissa said to the sitting Oscar but she didn't leave before she gave him a quick kiss.

"Honey it should be right-" she began.

"What are you doing with that nitwit?" Draco asked in a hushed voice.

"Aww, you just don't like him because he's not your father." Narcissa went to rub Draco's face.

He slapped her hand away gently, "No, I don't like him because he's, well, he's him! That should be damn near enough to not like him."

"Be nice."

"I'm trying, I seriously am. But I'm so confused why you would leave Dad for that dork. He works at a regular school. His pay is probably so low you might as well be lowering your head to eat with the pigs."

"All you see is how much he is worth; it's all materialism with you. You are just like your father," she said extremely annoyed.

"I am _nothing_ like my father," Draco said in a cold voice.

"Well if you don't like your father so much why do you care that I am with a muggle."

"He's a muggel!" Draco said in a feigned surprised voice.

"Yes, and he's wonderful! No magical nonsense!" His mother glowed.

"Fine, you go be with Oscar," Draco said hatred dripping from his voice, "but I will never treat him as anything more than what his is."

"I didn't ask you to," Narcissa said in a cool voice. Draco obviously didn't lick that trait up from the ground.

"Fine!" Draco grabbed the coffee pot and turned to go back into the living room but was stopped when he nearly knocked over Oscar. Oscar was standing in the doorway looking as dumb as a doornail.

"What's going on? I heard some fighting."

Narcissa pushed past Draco, "Nothing. Everything is fine."

"Really?"

"Yes, really," Draco answered.

"I didn't sound like everything was fine." Oscar looked to Draco suspiciously.

"Well, if the situation involved you Oscar, we would let you know." Draco pushed past him into the living room. "Mother, I must be going now. Lots of things to do before school tomorrow."

"Oh, okay. Goodbye Draco!"

Draco heard the last goodbye as he left the house. 'What an awful place.'

A/N: See that chapter was longer! Review!


	14. What did you Expect?

A/N: Sorry for the huge gap in updating. Life has been pretty crazy around here. Anyway please review some more. But still a tremendous thank you to those that do!

Draco was bouncing the sack of money in his hand. Not only was he weighing the money but mentally he was weighing the offer. He had already accepted but he was curious why he had accepted it so readily, well, readily for him. His eyes watched the sack jump up and fall back into his hand where it would only then be repelled again into the air. He stopped the motion, "Interesting."

"Ugh, school," Ginny said in a half asleep and cynical tone.

"When you say it like that it sounds a million times worse. Be positive!" Mary directed.

'Ugh, school!" Ginny said in a faux enthusiastic voice.

"Not quite the point Gin."

Ginny's fame had some what subsided but the rumors were still alive and well. It was so much fun to hear the rumor about you told to you, Ginny thought. So, if she kept up with her own news she was now a spy working against the Malfoy's trying to dig up their skeletons hence why she kissed Draco. In whole honesty, however, Ginny couldn't blame them. When she was a shy, invisible first year she believed all the rumors about everyone. Her life now was so contradictory to her life only a couple of years ago. She should probably talk to Draco about it. No, pretending like it never happened is a million times better. He'll be confused and then driven by pure curiosity he'll bring it up thus giving Ginny the upper hand. Her mind was already coming up with a game plan for their next conversation which could very well be 2 months from this point. No matter! That would only give her more time to prepare.

Later on that day Ginny was doingher never ending stack of work lying on the table in the library. The room was completely devoid of any noises except from the constant scratch of pens on parchment. That being the only noise it amplified itself in her mind and making her so distracted she had read the same damn page twice! One of two things could result, A: complete madness or B: using the old, "Fuck it! I can do it later," line. Ginny being the big fan she was of procrastination obviously selected B.

She jumped up from the hard chair and grabbed a book off the shelf. She wasn't too concerned with what the book was about, she just grabbed one. She opened it up and flipped through the pages. While doing this a piece of parchment drifted to the ground. It was folded only once and seemed old. It was a simple note. The person who wrote it was probably dating the person they were sending it too. Gin guessed this by the fact there was some, 'honey,' 'sweetheart' and the like.

"Ginerva."

Ginny quickly folded the note and held it her hands behind her back. "Yes?"

Draco walked towards her with his usual apathetic mentality. "I see your homework is having fun collected dust."

"Better it than me," Ginny said in her own indifferent tone.

Draco raised his eyebrow as sort of an unspoken touché. "On the contrary you have only just begun to shake off your dust," Draco said clearly though in the required hush tone that was demanded in a library.

"Excuse me?" Ginny uttered having heard him but maintaining the contrary.

Draco did a sort of eye roll, grabbed her wrist and walked out of the library. When they were sufficient enough of a distance away he continued: "You heard me."

Ginny didn't want to lose her own edge in the discussion but she could see it slipping away. When it doubt, don't say anything Ginny thought. But she wanted to know why he said that. "Why do you care?"

"No one said I did." Draco's eye looked colder than ice.

"What's with you? You're so hot and cold all the time. I can't keep up."

"Aren't you the hypocrite? You hate me, then kiss me, then you act like nothing happens and THEN you start accusing me of being hot and cold," Draco said incredulously. "You're unbelievable."

"Well, believable is boring," Ginny said simply as she started to walk away.

That didn't go according to plan but she did get the last word in. The group had forgotten about the kiss (or as close to forgotten as they'd get) but Ron was still being a little crazy. Who are you with? Where are you going? Why? When? He needed to calm the hell down. Though maybe he would now that he and Mary were together. They were a pretty cute couple and Ginny was happy for them and all. But if Mary rattled on about Ron any more Ginny might have to go deaf.

The tensions between her and Hermione had eased in a way. She hardly ever saw her. Harry and Hermione were constantly hanging out and snogging somewhere. Ginny didn't care at all. Harry isn't happy if every else is getting some and he's not. That really pissed her off. Everyone's emotions revolved around how Harry felt. "It's been like that forever why change it now," she thought aloud.

She was rounding the corner and almost to the portrait hole. "Ahh!" she screamed as she closed her eyes. "I'm blind!"

"Shut it Gin!" Mary shouted.

"I'm scared for life!" Ginny was only kidding and Ron picked up on it but Mary took it very personally.

"You don't scream at Harry and Hermione!" Mary said in defense.

"Mary, chill. I was kidding. It's not like I haven't seen my brother kiss anyone before."

Mary pouted and Ginny dragged her in through the hole apologizing the whole way.

> > > > > > >

Draco closed the book on his desk and rubbed his eyes. Two seconds later some one put their hands over his eyes. "Guess who?" the voice asked innocently.

Draco flipped the person around to the front, "I didn't expect-" Draco stopped when he realized that it was Pansy. Draco wondered why he thought it was someone else but more importantly who. He most definitely didn't want to think about it.

"Who were you expecting?" Pansy asked in a little girly voice.

"The most beautiful girl in school. Have you seen her?" Draco said while dogging his head in a mock representation of him looking for someone.

"You ass!" Pansy said as she pulled him into a kiss. Draco received it gladly and was looking forward to the night ahead….

A/N: Ron and Mary kissed. Draco sleeps with Pansy. Harry and Hermione making out. Everyone is getting some action except Ginny. Well, I'll just have to fix that.; ) REVIEW I WILL NOT UPDATE IF THERE ARE NO REVIEWs even one will do.


	15. Let go!

A/N: THANK YOU KITTYBRO for your review. Much appreciated. Please tell me your thoughts! I know there is someone reading this story, so to you reader would you please review. Thank you.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything besides myself and even that I'm unsure of…

Ginny hadn't talked to Mary in a long time because she was so infatuated with Ron. But Ginny didn't judge her or anything she just wished she had Mary to talk to. 'If she's happy,' Ginny thought.

She was lying on her bed staring up at the ceiling. She noticed the little holes that were in the stones above her and began making shapes in her head. Some time later she heard Mary returning to bed, well after midnight. Then she remembered the note she found today and leaned over her bed to reach her robes to get it. Ginny read it over and over so much so that she had it almost completely memorized. "I'm pathetic."

Ginny thought about the two people in the letter. She wondered where they were now and if they were still together. The two probably weren't. Who finds their soul mate when they're 16 or 17? The thoughts about the couple made her wonder about her own life. Granted she was still pretty young but she wondered what the whole 'falling in love' bit was like. The cynical part of her thought it was a crock and not worth the hype. However the softer side (which was the tiny minority at this point) hoped that the descriptions were true.

Tomorrow would come early for her. She needed some sleep. Slowly, almost painfully so, Ginny drifted to sleep.

* * *

Draco woke up from a pleasant sleep only to find that it was four o'clock in the morning. Pansy had her arm flopped over his chest and was snoring away. Draco lifting the arm up got out of bed and the place the arm on the still warm spot where he had been. Draco hurried a little bit while getting dressed but in his hurry he knocked his foot into the door frame of the bathroom. Pansy woke up of course. Draco muttered, "Shit."

"Where, where are you going?" Pansy asked in a slurred, sleepy voice.

"I have a meeting in a couple of minutes. I'll see you at breakfast." Draco fixed his tie and gave Pansy a quick little kiss.

Pansy wasn't all together stupid. She knew he had plenty of girlfriends but being so tired she didn't whine or complain. She let him go to do what he wanted. It's what he always does anyway, she thought as she fell back asleep.

Draco was walking around the castle until he found the person he was looking for. "Everything is fine and well but I require more money."

A bag of galleons was thrown at him, "as if money was a problem."

Draco put the bag in his ropes making sure it wouldn't fall or break. "You never told me why."

"And why should I? You have the money. What more do you need? A motive? No such thing is necessary. Just do your job."

Then the person left Draco there very irked. The whole conversation made him feel like he was dependent on the other. He depended on no one. He would just have to turn the tables.

* * *

It was another great morning and by great Ginny didn't have to see Hermione. She had moved all over that table, taking different seats here and there. But today Hermione wasn't at breakfast, she was sick something awful. Ginny could reclaim her so missed seat in the middle with her regular friends and Ron. Of course Harry was still seating there but the two had reached a common ground of nice "hellos" and "how are you?" that had no real care or concern of the response. Ginny loved it like that.

"Good morning all!" Ginny sat down gracefully with a huge smile on her face.

"Someone's happy," Ron noted looking up from his food giving his sister a smile back.

"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked shoving food into his mouth.

"She's probably in the girl's lavatory vomiting all over the place," Ginny answered happily.

Harry dropped his fork with a clang and grabbed his napkin to wipe his face. "Oh, how colorful. Thanks for the detail."

"You are most welcome," Ginny said cheerily as she drank some pumpkin juice.

Ginny continued conversations with the others around her as Ron and Harry got in huge debate over Quidditch teams. Ginny happened to look up and saw Draco who was also talking away to his cronies. Draco looked up to meet Ginny's gaze and his eyes darted to the hallway and then back to Ginny. Ginny was curious what he wanted to talk about. She actually didn't mind talking to him because she was in such a great mood.

"Excuse me guys." Ginny stood grabbing her books.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked suspiciously.

"I'm going to check on Hermione. I kind of feel bad, damn this conscience."

"Why do you need your books?" Ron stared into Ginny's eyes trying to see if she was lying.

His gaze didn't faze her at all; she had lied to her brother before. "Who knows how long I'll be in there. I don't want to lose my books like I did first year! Remember that huge lecture Mom gave me? I'll see you guys later." She walked away to the hallway. Her answer to her brother was legitimate enough for Ron who returned to his debate with Harry. However Harry was following Ginny's departure with his eyes.

"What?" Ron asked.

"I dunno. Why would Ginny care about Hermione though?" Harry's eyebrows were knitted with confusion.

"Maybe it was Ginny's fault that Hermione got sick or something." Ron dismissed the whole suspicion, hoping his sister had grown a heart.

Harry concentrated on the spot where Ginny had been. Finally he pushed the thought to the back of his head until he noticed someone else was missing as well.

Ginny had made it to the hallway before Draco and stared at her nail chipping away the clear polish that she had applied just last night.

"Weasely."

Ginny turned to the origin of the cold voice, "Malfoy."

Her grabbed her arm and led her down and around another corridor. "What's this all about?" Ginny smile hadn't faded.

"You're awfully happy."

"Just a good mood. So?" Ginny put her hands her hips and stared at him wondering why he had to talk about.

"Well, I-" Draco started but then stopped. His eyes focused on something behind Ginny. "We have a visitor."

"Ginny?" the voice called out.

"What?" Ginny grunted because she really wanted to hear what Draco was about to say.

"I thought you were supposed to be checking on Hermione," Harry said colder than ice. He looked supremely pissed off.

"I got distracted. Did you follow me?" Ginny asked him incredulously.

"Not like its any of **your** business Potter," Draco spat out. Ginny was surprised Draco's uncharacteristic display of emotion.

"Stay out of this ferret boy," Harry warned as he grabbed Ginny's arm. "C'mon, now we're really going to check on Hermione."

"No, Harry! I was in the middle of a conversation. Let me go!" Ginny tried to pry Harry off her.

"She's grown up enough to make her own decisions Potter. Let her go," Draco nearly yelled out.

"I told you to stay out of this," Harry said again.

"You're just jealous Potter. Just because you're not getting all the attention, because she doesn't worship you anymore!" Draco words echoed down the hallway.

Harry's face turned dark, Ginny half expected him to beat Draco down with a barrage of fists. He started to walk away again, his hand still clutching to Ginny's arm.

"No!" Ginny protested.

"Fine, do it the hard way!" Harry shouted in anger. He lifted Ginny up and threw her over his shoulder.

"Damn it Harry, stop it! You're being an ass! Let go!" Ginny was punching his back repeatedly.

Draco didn't know Harry was so possessive and he wanted more than anything to just the beat the hell of Potter right there. Instead his level head took over and he watched Harry walk off with Ginny.

A/N: review.


	16. A World of Firsts

A/N: I really wanted to write. Hope you guys like it. As usual review. Thank you LadyGinveraMalfoy for the supportive review! I really appreciated it! Keep 'em coming.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with Harry Potter except the people I make up!

What a scene! How embarrassing. Ginny couldn't believe that Harry had just carried her off like she was a baby. He had a firm grip around her waist and Ginny gave up hitting him noticing that not even a wince showed on his face. Silently Harry carried Ginny all the way to the Gryffindor common room. The Fat Lady gave Harry a pleased look obviously happy to see someone tame Ginny's actions.

Harry flipped Ginny off his shoulder onto the plush red couch near the fireplace. And before she could say anything Harry started on her. "What do you think you're doing? Do you have ANY idea how dangerous he is?"

"He's just as dangerous as you are Harry Potter." Ginny felt she was a toddler being chastised for running off in a store.

"I am not half as dangerous as him! I would never trick you or manipulate you like he has been known to do. I mean, how could forget what his father did? I sure as hell can't!" Harry was pacing back and forth looking up at Ginny only when he spoke.

"You said it yourself. His FATHER did that, not him. Besides what's so bad about broadening my social horizons? I want to have a life Harry! You don't get it. How many times do we have to have this conversation? Every time I tell you the same thing. How thick are you?"

"How thick am I? I'm not the one that's prancing around with Malfoy!" Harry was speaking with such fervor but it was completely unfounded.

"Prancing is not a word to describe our relationship. We not even 'friends' technically. We talk sometimes and act friendly towards each other."

"Oh so acting friendly now a days means snogging the person whenever you damn well please!"

"May I remind you that kissing is not snogging. Plus we've only kissed twice." Just as Ginny said it she regretted it. 'Shit, shit, shit,' Ginny thought.

Harry stopped and spun around. "Twice! You've kissed him more than just that time in the Great Hall?"

Ginny was trapped. "Yes. But he kissed me whereas in the Great Hall it was mutual. So really it was only once."

"I can't believe you said that. Kissing someone once could be like getting it out of your system without really liking the person. But twice! Twice means that there's a mutual curiosity of the other person which could lead to a possible relationship!"

Ginny just stared at him like he was crazy, "you read way too many Teen Witch Weekly's."

"I just have a healthy curiosity of what you women read," Harry said defending his macho man pride.

"Right. I'll be sure to tell Hermione to keep her girly mags under lock and key." Ginny chuckled at the image of Harry reading through the magazines, taking the quizzes and actually reading the relationship articles.

"Don't change the subject. Draco is a bad kid. Why can't you just leave him alone?" Apparently Ginny's laughter had ignited Harry's fiery hot temper again.

"Just because he's your enemy does not mean he's mine."

"Well, he should be your enemy. Just think of all the awful things he's said about your family. That doesn't bother you?" Harry stopped his pacing and stared right at Ginny.

"Sometimes people say and do things they don't mean, Harry," Ginny hinted.

"You can't even compare what I did to what he DOES. They're completely different things."

"Not really."

"Yes, really. I apologized! Did he?" Harry crossed his arms defiantly.

"Well, I would've known if YOU hadn't barged into our conversation!" Ginny stood up from the couch tired that Harry was towering over her. She was still shorter than him when fully upright but at least now she didn't feel like a kid on the verge of a time out.

"Please Ginny! You don't know that he was going to say anything near a sorry." Harry threw his arms up in the air and turned to pacing again.

"Oh, and you do?" Ginny was absolutely shocked at his behavior. It was so puerile she just wanted to smack him.

Harry paced back to where Ginny was. He was right in her face but Ginny didn't back down. She clenched her fists at her sides and stared directly at him ready for whatever he was about to throw at her.

"Ginny," He said slowly. "You're acting like an idiot."

Without even the slightest hesitation Ginny's hand came flying up and slapped Harry across the face. In less than a second Ginny's hand was back at her side and only the blazing red mark on Harry's face showed the incident had happened at all.

Harry's head was still turned and he slowly corrected it. Ginny hadn't moved not because she had that stubborn or courageousbut because she was petrified. She was completely scared to the bone of what his response would be. Ginny knew better than to hit a boy because some boys hit back and when they do it's a lot harder.

Ginny was prepared for the worst but all Harry did was walk away. He was half way out the portrait hole when he shouted back, "You should get on your way to class. Don't forget your books."

She saw the hurt on his face and she realized that she was probably out of line but in no way was she sorry. Not so long ago she was in love with him, her first crush. And now he was the first boy Ginny had ever slapped. "He's just a world of firsts isn't he?"

A/N: Sorry for the confusing concluding paragraph in Ch. 15. I need to learn how to use a spacebar eh? Review please.


	17. Another use for a Text Book

A/N: THANK YOU KITTYBRO!: )Reviews make me happy…In response to a review (from a while ago) from potatomaker, I will, eventually get to the drunken sex thing and the reason for Hermione's bitchy-ness but I'm not sure when…sorry. Anyway I hope for reviews. Thank you.

Ginny stomped off to her classes infuriated. She was so angry that she couldn't speak. Her face was a little flushed and her lips thin. Her mind was flooded with thoughts about how much she hated Harry. She wished that she could forget about it but there was no shutting off her mind no matter how much appreciated. Her friends had made the sorry mistake of asking her what was wrong and they received a cold, bitter "nothing" in response. Her fabulous mood was ruined, it was a false start. In her classes she paid moderate attention to what was being taught but she was completely oblivious to the people around her.

She had made it to her last class of the day, Potions. "Best for last," she said aloud sarcastically. Usually when Ginny made her way down to the dungeons she kept her head down and stayed out of the way but today Ginny paraded down there. Some Slytherin knocked into her, hard and Ginny was in no mood for it.

"Fucking bitch," the girl said.

Ginny stopped and turned around. She put her cauldron down and positioned her extremely heavy Potions text book in her hands. She calmly walked up to the girl who was chatting away. Ginny tapped her on the shoulder and the girl stopped to face her. Before the girl could say anything Ginny swung her arms and used the book as a bat. The book made contact with the girl's face and the force of it caused her to spin around and fall to the floor.

"Oh my God! Pansy are you okay? Pansy!" the girl's friends knelt down to their friend. Their head snapped up to Ginny standing over them.

"Maybe your friend should think twice before insulting someone. You never know if the person can kick your ass." Ginny retrieved her cauldron and walked towards her Potions class but stopped when she saw Snape gaping at her. "Shit."

"Ms. Weasely you better get over here!" he shouted.

"This outta be fun," Ginny thought.

* * *

Potter had the best timing out of anyone in the whole world. Draco was pretty angry but let it go, knowing that he'd get another chance to talk to Ginny. In the meantime he had a job to do. His job was getting increasingly more difficult. Sometimes he thought the money wasn't even worth it. But when he thought of all the great things he could do with his money he was inspired to continue. 

Like his father had instructed he went home most weekends but what his father didn't know would, in fact, kill him. As a comment in passing Draco had mentioned to Snape about his father's absence that's when his job began. He went to Snape's office at the end of the day. All he saw was students leaving and no Snape.

"Hey! Where's Snape?" he called out to some Ravenclaw boy.

"He's taking the Weasely girl to McGonagal's office."

Before Draco could find out why the boy, as well as the rest of the class, had left. He knew that Snape must be super pissed at Weasely to bring her McGonagal which only meant more frustration for him. "This outta be fun," he said aloud as he left for McGonagal's office.

* * *

Ginny walked proudly when Snape brought her to McGonagal's office. People looked and whispered, wondering what she had done. Rumors were already spreading. She was now standing in front of McGonagal who was just flabbergasted. 

"Ms. Weasely is this true?"

"Yes." Ginny was stoic and tried hard not to break a smile. She wasn't exactly proud but she was satisfied.

McGonagal let out sigh and sat down. "That is just so out of character for you. What happened to the nice and quiet Ginerva from just last year?"

"Well she got hit one too many times. Professor it wasn't like I just decided to smack someone in the head. She provoked me. She hit me rather hard and may I add that Professor Snape made no move to punish her for violence in the hallways."

"Ms. Weasely could it be possible that Professor Snape hadn't seen Ms. Parkinson hit you?"

"Possible and convenient."

"You aren't racking up any points with me with that attitude dear."

"Nor me," Snape chimed in. "I suggest detentions and many of them," Snape glared angrily at Ginny.

"I agree. I also want you to apologize to Ms. Parkinson personally," McGonagal put on her glasses and rose to dismiss Ginny.

"I'm sorry but you will be disappointed," Ginny said.

"What?" McGonagal asked indifferently.

"I refuse to apologize."

"Fine," McGonagal said tired of Ginny's stubbornness. "Professor Snape whatever punishment you see fit for Ms. Weasely please administer it. Now you are dismissed."

Ginny was shocked and she showed it. Snape smiled and lead Ginny out of the room. "Alright Ms. Weasely on top of a having detention every night for 2 weeks I also expect a meter long essay detailing impact that Sage root has on one's life."

"Which is due when?" Ginny asked supremely deflated.

Snape grinned bearing his not so white teeth, "Monday. Have a nice weekend."

* * *

Draco saw Snape leaving McGonagal's office and called out for his attention. 

"What is it Mr. Malfoy?"

"It is concerning my father."

"And?" Snape asked interested.

"Well I have found out which country he is in but unfortunately for you I can not disclose that information." Draco looked down at his nails pretending not to care.

"What? You're withholding information!"

"Perhaps you should be nicer," Draco suggested.

"It was four o'clock in the morning and you expected me to be nice?"

"I wasn't the one that decided the time. All I'm saying is don't make it seem like I depend on YOU because you and I both know it is the other way around."

"No student should have the audacity to speak to their teacher in such a fashion," Snape remarked indignantly.

"You can talk about your ideal world and I can keep quiet. Let's not forget whose neck is on the line," Draco answered quietly.

"Fine. Have it your way. Where is he?"

"He is in Italy but the rest of the clan isn't." Draco began to walk away.

"And where are they?" Snape called out.

"That's what I hope to find out."

A/N: Detention with Snape! A meter long essay! It sure is raining shit for Ginny. And now you know why Draco got the money and that he is a spy of sorts. Review if you want another chapter. MUHAHAHA


	18. Good job though

A/N: Thank you LadyGinervaMalfoy! Oh I am so glad that you got that! When I showed this chapter to a friend of mine they hated the fact Draco was asking for money but I said just what you did! He's still got some evil in him. C'mon, he can't be perfect! Besides he would be no fun if he wasn't evil. And I am not saying anything about the baby idea but good job being on your toes. Thank you Jewels03! I appreciate your review!

* * *

Ginny was sitting in the Great Hall because she didn't want to be anywhere else. It was past lunch and not yet dinner so the place was completely empty. In her solitude she was thinking a habit that she wanted so much to quit. She had some parchment out, a quill and a book but wasn't doing her work. She was staring intently at the light brown paper. She was wondering what the hell was going on in her life. She was recounting everything that had happened to her so far. She had kissed Draco twice; she slapped Harry, and smacked one of the meanest Slytherin girls in the head. It was only the first half of the year and she had already had so much excitement. Then she realized that's just what it was, exciting. It was exciting to kiss someone you're not supposed to. It was exciting to stand up for yourself. It was exciting, also, to be rid of any feelings for Harry. She had never been happier than just then. She was taken from her thoughts by a familiar voice.

"Ms. Weasely. Why so alone?"

"Hello Professor Dumbledore! I was just," Ginny began.

"Thinking. I could tell. You haven't moved for near 20 minutes," he said through his flowing beard.

Ginny looked down and blushed slightly.

"No need to be embarrassed Ms. Weasely. I wish more young students would stop a minute to think."

"Thank you Professor." Ginny smiled up at him.

"I couldn't help but hear what happened today," Dumbledore began.

"Oh God," Ginny said in a small voice as her head looked down again smile gone.

"I'm not here to reprimand you. From what I've been told Professor Snape has taken good care of that," He said in knowing voice.

"Yea, you could say that." Ginny laughed.

"However I am here to say that I don't want you to go around beating people up," and before Ginny could groan he bent down and said in low voice, "Good job though."

Dumbledore walked away to the front of the Great Hall where Professor Flitwick was trying to fix the Christmas tree. Ginny hadn't even noticed that Flitwick was there at all. She wondered if she had actually heard Dumbledore say that. Noticing the time Ginny ran off.

* * *

Draco was folding up his laundry and putting it away. When he found a shirt he had been looking for weeks. "Alright," he said before he heard his door slam open.

"Look what that bitch did to me!" Pansy screamed at him while pointing to her head.

"What are talking about?" Draco asked uninterested.

"That fucking Weasely girl! Just look!" she kept pointing.

When Draco had heard her say that his head snapped up all the sudden interested. "What did she do?"

"She slammed me in head with her textbook for no reason!" Pansy whined.

Draco walked up and looked at the massive bruise on that started at the side of Pansy's forehead and continued all the way past her ear. "Well, at least most of it's covered."

"But everyone saw!" she yelled.

Draco turned back to his drawer to stuff more clothes in there, "I'm sure not everyone. I mean I didn't see it."

"Where does she get the balls to do this to me? The most popular girl in school!" Pansy was almost crying but completely faking it.

'Don't flatter yourself,' Draco thought. "I don't know. But what do you want me to do about it?"

"I want sympathy! I want you to care damn it!" Pansy marched up to him resting her hands on her hips.

He looked at her. "Well, I'm sorry but you are going to be disappointed."

She gave him a dirty look and then said defiantly, "Fine! I'll get sympathy from someone else."

"Okay," Draco said unfazed at her 'threat.'

Pansy left his room clearly put out.

Draco flopped on his bed not so much tired but bored. A thin strand landed in his face he tried to blow it out of his eyes and in his frustration he rose up and shook his head. He jumped up out of bed and left his room sick of being in there. He really had no where to go, no where to be so he strolled around. Draco was looking at the old stone walls that lined each and every hallway. He noticed the little cracks and holes. With his hands in his pockets he continued down not thinking about anything in particular. Then he was roused from his sort of dream like state by a body barreling into him, knocking him to the ground. Due to the force of the hit Draco was out for a second. His eyes snapped open to see someone kneeling over him but the light from the window behind the two made it impossible for him to see anything but a silhouette.

"I'm sorry! Are you okay?" the figure asked offering its hand.

Draco took it and stood up. "Yea, I'm fine. Just a little surprised." When he was fully erect the light was blocked and he saw that it was the littlest Weasely that had hit into him. "Weasely."

"Malfoy."

The two stood there until finally Draco spoke up saying, "I'm sorry about earlier. I guess I should've helped you out there."

"Don't even worry about it. If I remember correctly it wasn't you who slung me over your shoulder."

"That was actually pretty funny," Draco said laughing.

Ginny laughed with him, "I bet."

"So I heard about your new use for a textbook." Draco smirked.

"Uh, yea, I think everyone did."

"Probably. You know them and their gossip." He gave her a knowing look.

Ginny returned the look obviously understanding the reference. "About that…"

"Its ancient history," Draco interrupted brushing it away.

"Really? You don't even want to know what that was about." Ginny asked sincerely.

"Oh I know what it was about. I'm the best looking guy in school so naturally," another classic Draco smirk.

"That was it," Ginny laughed.

"So where were you rushing to anyway?"

"Oh, um…I don't even remember." Ginny felt dumb for admitting it so either she hit her head hard on the fall or she was distracted by him. Ginny denied the second guess and accepted the first.

"You knocked me down for nothing!" Draco said in a faux hurt voice.

"Well not on purpose!"

"That doesn't change the fact of you knocking me down."

"Are we actually fighting about this?" Ginny asked with a smile.

Draco paused, "Yes."

"Wanna go outside?" Ginny looked at her shoes in a shy manner.

"Did you ask me to go somewhere?" Draco gave her a cocky smirk thinking she would be embarrassed and blush which he really loved…wait no he didn't, did he?

"Indeed I did. So you in," Ginny began and walked toward him, leaned in and continued, "Or are you out?" If he was going to play with her she was going to play with him. She didn't wait for a verbal answer and went on down the hallway. In a brief moment of weakness she looked back and found Draco running up to her, "In."

A/N: Lots of dialogue. Really appreciated the reviews. Thank you so much! Please keep 'em coming. Much Love!


	19. it being so close to Chrismas

A/N: Thanks for the review from Jewels03 and AngelSerpent91. (She will be getting some action…soon) I really appreciate your reviews! Thank You all!

Disclaim: Consider me disclaiming….

Draco was confused but delightfully so. Weasely was good at being suggestive to get her way which almost scared him. But the thought was a fleeting one that was quickly forgotten. The snow was falling in large flakes but gently. The ground was completely white as were the trees off in the Forbidden Forest. Draco saw only a few outside but those who were stayed close to the castle having snow ball fights. As the two continued walking the noise of those kids died off into faint whispers that were scarcely heard.

"And where is it we are going to again?" Draco walked up and fell in step with Weaselette.

"You'll see when we get there."

A little more time passed as the two walked in silence. Considering the fact that it was snowing it wasn't that terribly cold. Draco's eyes saw in the blazing white a bright red bird sitting on a tree branch far from the ground. He tried to make out what kind but as soon as it was noticed it disappeared.

"We're here!" Ginny said with much enthusiasm.

Because Draco was so transfixed by the bird he hadn't noticed before but in any case they were at the pond. It was lined with trees and the water was completely frozen over. "You took me skating. I don't believe anyone has taken me skating so points to you for originality."

"Not even your parents?"

"They didn't fancy the cold. I have skated before by myself but I didn't see what was so great about it."

"Well no wonder! You went by yourself." Ginny stepped on to the ice managing to not fall.

"I had a lot of alone time as a kid." Draco stayed on the shore as Ginny began to slide around.

"Really? I never had any time to myself. Privacy doesn't exist in my house. Why are you still over there?"

"I'm taking my time."

"Screw that!" Ginny skated over to him and grabbed his hands, dragging him onto the ice. As it turned out he wasn't a good skater and so Ginny gave him some help. Gradually he got the hang of it but he still kept a firm grip on Ginny's hand.

"Took my hand hostage eh?" Ginny raised her eyebrow at Draco who quickly responded.

"If I'm going to fall you are falling with me."

Some time after that Draco stopped which forced Ginny to. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just needed a little a break."

As he said that a little tiny snowflake had fallen and landed on his eyelash. Ginny laughed under her breath a little.

"What?"

"Nothing. You just have a little snow flake on your eyelash. It's sorta cute."

Draco looked down to hide a little smile that had appeared on his face as he tried to chase away the thought of how adorable she was when she said that.

"Oh did I see a smile!" Ginny exaggerated a gasp. "C'mon was I right?" Ginny lowered her head and pushed Draco's head up. To her surprise the smile was still there. It was an actual smile, not gigantic but it was there.

"Yes, you were right. But now you have to promise that you will tell no one what you saw," he said only sounding half serious but being completely so.

"You have my word." Ginny threw her hand upon her chest with her pointer and middle fingers crossed.

"Well, now that's settled I think we should go in." Draco started for the shore.

"Why?" Ginny pouted and stomped her foot.

"Temper, temper. You're lucky the ice is so thick. You could've killed us there. Besides what's so wrong with inside?" Draco asked as he turned around to face her.

"Well there's my brother who's probably ready to kill me and then there's a huge paper along with my regular weekend homework to do AND none of my friends are there."

"Where are all of they?"

"Went home for the weekend. They left right after all their classes," Ginny said with a tone of sadness to her voice.

"Why did they ALL go home?"

"They all got homesick it being so close to Christmas and all."

"Softies."

"I know."

"So basically you're trying to escape your brother and general procrastination on your work."

"Yep," Ginny said as she nodded her head.

"Well, obviously we can't stay outside for ever," he began and Ginny groaned. "But we can find something else to do."

Ginny lifted her head up and asked curiously, "What else is there to do in this place?"

"Time for me to surprise you." Draco starting walking away pulling Ginny with him.

Ginny was very curious as to what they could do. He was leading her throw the snow which tampered off significantly. They were still outside and Ginny wasn't sure where exactly they were but Draco defiantly knew. After quite a bit of walking Ginny and he were at the Southern end of the castle and Draco was walking up to the castle. "After all that we're going inside?" Ginny asked disappointed.

"Oh ye of so little faith." Draco continued up the castle while Ginny stayed a few meters back. Ginny wasn't pay much attention and spotted a red bird flying in the sky but before she could identify what bird it was Draco called out for attention. "In or Out Weasely?" Draco was leaning up against the castle and next to him was a sort of tunnel. He had a cocky look about him that just screamed, 'I told you so!'

"In." Ginny walked up to it and looked in. It was dank, frightfully dark and wasn't very large but enough that you or really she could stand up in it but it wasn't wide enough for two side by side. "How did you find this?" Ginny went into the tunnel first and Draco came in after her.

"I didn't. Potter did."

"Sounds interesting. Do tell." Ginny was proceeding very carefully barely able to see even with her wand lit.

"It was, God I forget how long ago, but anyway I was in a particularly bad mood and went to fly to calm down. I always have hated flying in the Quidditch field. It's too small and so since day one I've flown wherever I wanted. And that night I was over the castle when I spotted Potter. I was planning a devious prank on him but restrained when I notice he was doing something. I flew down, heard what he said, and noticed the tunnel."

"Oh."

"Not very interesting I'll admit. Didn't mean to disappoint you."

"I'm never disappointed around you," Ginny thought but then she realized, 'oh God! Shit! Why did I say that?' and this she actually thought.

Draco was behind her reveling in his compliment that he hadn't been expecting. Ginny tripped and was well on her way to falling flat on her face but Draco grabbed her from behind and yanked her back. "Watch out," Draco whispered, his head by Ginny's shoulder. His breath tickled her neck and Ginny shivered.

She wanted nothing more than to turn around and kiss him until she was forced to come up for air after which she would continue kissing him. But her better part stopped her and she whispered a thank you and continued on through the tunnel.

After a great deal of walking Ginny asked where they were going and Draco only laughed. He refused to ruin the surprise.

"Hermione?"

She lifted her head as she woke up from her nap that she hadn't realized she was taking. "Oh, Harry. What time is it?"

"Uh, its about 4."

"Ugh," Hermione dropped her head for a second. "What is it?"

"We were wondering, me and Ron that is, are you okay?" Harry sat down on the coffee table in front of the red couch in the common room.

"Yes I am fine. I just got sick. Madame Pompfery says I have the flu. Great time to get it too right before the holiday," Hermione said in her trademark sarcastic tone.

Harry faked a little laugh. "I know that you must feel pretty crappy but I was wondering why you have acting so strange."

"Strange as in how?"

"Well for starters you and Ginny seem to sparring at every chance you get."

"We're just…" Hermione searched for the words, "not fond of eachother."

'Obviously,' Harry thought but thought better not to say. Harry looked at Hermione for minute or two very confused. He was very unsure if he wanted to know the answer to his next question. "Did you know I was drunk?"

With an exasperated sigh Hermione answered, "For the final time I knew you were drunk."

"So you also knew then how I act when I'm drunk. You have seen me drunk before."

"Yes I have seen you drunk. Where is this going Harry?" Hermione knew exactly what he was about but didn't want to talk about it.

"If you knew that why did you let me do it? I mean YOU KNEW!" He yelled.

"I don't know okay? You happy yet?" Hermione looked down the entire time.

"You do know. What is going on with you. How could you let me do that?" Harry was getting very upset and stood up from his seat.

"How could I let YOU do that? I'm sorry Harry but your soberness is NOT my responsibility. If I do recall I told you not to drink so much."

"That was after I was already drunk!"

"C'mon Harry don't make a mountain out of a mole hill. It wasn't that big of a deal."

"Maybe not to you! It WAS that big a deal."

Hermione got up and walked calmly to the stair case. "She got over it Harry."

"I didn't! You used me!" Harry had enough of the conversation and left the common room with a slam as Hermione yelled after him. When he had left Hermione shook her head as it rested in her hands. "Damn it. Fucking bitch."

"No way!" Draco exclaimed.

"Yes way." Ginny laughed.

"That was your friend Mary? I bet no one wanted to use that pool ever again." Draco stopped laughing as he noticed how close they were. "Okay look up."

"Okay." Ginny did that. "I see a trap door."

"Good. Can you reach it?"

"Nope."

"Okay. I'll get it." Draco got in front of her and lifted it open. Then he motioned Ginny to come to where he was. Once she was there he grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her up through he opening. Ginny was caught off guard and let out a little squeal.

"Shh!"

"Sorry!" She crawled through and put her hands down to where Draco was. He grabbed both of them and used the wall to push his feet off of to get through the door. They both stood up and looked around. Ginny smiled in delight and Draco stared at her.

"Surprise," he said.

"This is great." She turned around and said sincerely, "Thank you."

"No problem. Now c'mon. we're wasting time. Let's go!"

Ginny had no problem with that as Draco grabbed her hand and lead her through to the front door. Once out she was greeted with the familiar sights and sounds even smells of Hogsmeade. She realized how much trouble she would get in with not only school but with her brother and she couldn't care less…

A/N: I made it long because I have midterms so its going to take awhile to write some more. Enjoy.


	20. You Make me Wanna La La

A/N: Chapter 20 already! Oh man. Anyway I appreciate your reviews! Thank you: TRINITI71, and Nickel. Sorry about the huge gap in updating. I had a paper and midterms! Ahh! Anyway, hope y'all like this. Also, I'm terribly sorry for forgetting the dividers between the Draco Ginny activities and the Harry and Hermione discussion.

Disclaimer: I have no idea if I really need to put this thing in ever time but because I'm apparently masochistic (jk) I write it all the same. I do not own Harry Potter…

Her body was being showered with kisses and she intended on returning every one of them. The two pulled apart and he slowly took off his undershirt revealing his surprisingly built stomach. Not that it was that incredible but no one would've suspected him to look like that underneath. She was pulled out of her amazed trance by the sound of him unzipping his pants. Her eyes darted from him to his hands when she affirmed in herself that she wanted to do this. As she was returning his previous favoras moans escaped his mouth and she continued on until he was at his climax. Then through a lusty moan she heard, "oh Ginny."

Hermione bolted up in a sweat from her dream. Alas it wasn't a dream but a recollection from her past. It was the reason for everything, for why she was like this. She was a huge twisted mess inside because of Ginerva Weasely. Hermione scowled just thinking of her and that moment. Finally deciding that she had enough of the Gryffindor tower, she made her way over to the library. She grabbed a quill and some parchment from her bag as she took notes from a book. Hours past and Hermione wouldn't have known if the library didn't tell her it was closing time. She left the library to return to the Gryfindor common room even though she wanted to run in the other direction.

"Hi Hermione," the person put special emphasis on the 'Hermione' part.

Hermione didn't want to return the greeting but did all the same, "Thanks for remembering Neville," she mimicked. How dare he talk her? How dare he! After what he did he had the gall to even look at her? "Why did I ever date that idiot?" she asked aloud.

* * *

Harry was sitting up at the astronomy tower dazing off in a semi intoxicated trance. He noticed more but less in a way. He realized more in himself while in that state but recognized objects and things lazily. No one was there so it didn't really matter how he looked or what he was looking at, it was just him by his lonesome trying feebly to drown out his shallow sorrows. Of course he didn't think them to be shallow, he thought them to be the most dramatic things ever. However in a way there were for him. He had let his guard down and was manipulated in such a crude manner that it was almost embarrassing. He didn't hate Hermione but he did hate what she had done and hehatedhimself for falling for it. All this time he figured that he was such a gentleman. He had nice manners and was most times respectful so for him to realize what an opposite action he had performed was just beyond him. He sat there staring up at the dusk sky, his bottle of bitter solace lying next to him, wondering. In whole honesty he was sorry but in a way he didn't figure it to be his fault. After all, he was drunk! But then his other side kicked in saying that being drunk doesn't change anything, he shouldn't have been drunk in the first place! He hated the fact that he contradicts himself. His actions and behaviors are all of a hero but his thoughts and private side were nothing like what people expected. And that was just it, people expected! They expected an awful lot. Sometimes he had the confidence to say that he would defeat Voldermort and make all the wrongs right but a majority of the time he doubted that would happen. He never liked to think about his future, to think about the almost certain heroic death that he would endure. Instead he focused on his here and now. That here and now was him being half drunk on the roof worrying over what someone had done and could do again. Harry watched the sun slowly sink into thedistance and downed the entire bottle in a half witted attempt at forgetting about what was to be done and (almost more importantly) what he had done.

* * *

"Bloody hell!" Ron screamed as he threw down his quill in a fit of frustration. It was the third time that night that his quill had broken through the cheap parchment thus creating a tear down the middle. Having had enough of that sort of crap Ron left the common room in search of Harry. Harry had been acting awfully strange, in reality him and Ginny, and Hermione had too. He figured he would go first to the library and then he really didn't know where, perhaps the astronomy tower. Harry liked it there because it was so high up. In Ron's opinion it wasn't all that great and it was just a little scary there. He entered the library and took a quick look around.

"Hi, Ronny."

Ron turned around knowing who it was, "Luna, how many times have I asked you to NOT call me that?"

"Somewhere in the 53 to 117 range. I lost count, Ronny," Luna smiled when she said the name finding it funny but enjoy the redness that came to Ron's face much more.

"Why do you even call me that?" In his head Ron was counting from 10 backwards. One thing muggles got right was Anger Management.

"Because," Luna began as she walked away, "You hate it."

Ron shook his head with a little laugh. The laughter was replaced with a twitching eye when Luna shouting out another 'Ronny' before she left.

Ron left the library and wondered around a while because he had completely forgotten what he was doing in the first place. Luna made him so angry. He made her 'wanna la la' as Hermione had put it. She did explain what that meant but he was so not listening at the time. Then it hit him that he was trying to find Harry and that he should go look at the astronomy tower. So he went on his way.

When he got there he found just what he hoped he wouldn't: a drunken Harry. Harry was one of those philosophical drunks that got very depressed. Harry was almost impossible to handle when drunk. Harry had attempted suicide once, the second time he got drunk but Ron stopped him and kept that a secret to this day.

"Harry? You all right mate?" Ron climbed out to the tower very carefully and trying to NOT look down.

"Ron, are you scared of tomorrow?" Harry's eyes were stuck on one spot and he didn't move his head when he spoke.

"What's going on tomorrow?"

"I mean the future. I don't fancy the idea of 'future.'" Surprise as it was, Harry didn't slur when he was drunk which made it kind of difficult to know if he was or not. Ron figured he was by the nearly emptybottle next to him.

"Not really. The future is only your next present."

"I don't want my next present. I hate my future,I hatemy next present."

"Harry, you don't know what's going to happen, how can you hate it?"

"Don't you try to say that Ron! You and I and the whole fucking world know what my future is!" Harry screamed.

"Calm down mate, it's alright now. That's the important part. Don't go worrying about things that haven't happened yet." Ron was usually good as Harry to come to his senses but tonight Harry seemed especialy annoyed.

"Easy for you to say. You like your now, you like your future. My now sucks just as much as my future."

"Stop this Harry. Just stop. You're being selfish and I know it's because you're drunk so let's go sleep it off."

Harry didn't move. He refused to.

"C'mon Harry lets go!" Ron grabbed him trying to get his friend inside.

"No!" Harry pushed Ron away from him. "I'm waiting."

"Waiting for what mate?" Ron asked in a tired, frustrated voice.

Harry didn't answer him and he didn't move. He sat there like a stubborn mule. Ron gave up and left him there but checked in on him through out the night.

* * *

"Mmm…tasty," Ginny exclaimed when she was done with her food.

"This is unbelievable, I expose you to fine dinning and all I get is, 'its nice.' Give the girl some junk food and she salivates."

"You think that was fine dinning and I think this is fine dinning," Ginny said as she munched away on the candy she got.

"You're weird."

"Yea, normal is boring. What time is it?" Ginny asked noticing how dark it was.

"Umm…I'm going to guess it's 10." Draco didn't see a clock around and he wasn't wearing a watch.

"Time to get back then eh?" Ginny said in a disjointed voice wanted to never leave.

"Well, for some people."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked as she finished her candy.

"I mean that you are going back to the castle. I'm going to my house."

"Oh God, not you too. Is every one getting home sick?"

"Not in the least. I HAVE to go home. Father's orders."

"That so strange: 'father's orders.' I've never been ordered to do anything. I've been asked and borderline demanded but not ordered. It's like he's your keeper."

"Yep. Pretty much."

"That's weird." Ginny said with a little more witchy- ness in her tone that what she meant.

"Yea, normal is boring." Draco responded with a smirk.

A/N: The "you make me wanna la la," is an Ashlee Simpson song. I don't like Ashlee Simpson I just had the song stuck in my head ALL day soI put in it there. So, reviews are appreciated. HAPPY SUPERBOWL!


	21. Don't say Luminous

A/N: So, what's happening readers? Nothing over here. I wish you all a Happy Valentines Day, a little late. Thanks again to Nickel: sorry to have gotten in your head. Don't you hate it when that happens? Thanks to ArticAngelzTx: thanks for that, reviews like that make me happy! Thank you Swimfan! And of course thank you to the faithful readers that don't review, you guys are cool too. Okay anyways, review like always, they are appreciated.

Disclaimer: Disclaimers SUCK. (oh and I disclaim)

Ginny and Draco entered the store that previously led them to into Hogsmeade. It was considerably less crowded then before. They found that Draco was off by an hour, it was really 11 or so. Draco told Ginny to go on ahead of him and so she did but she turned her head around in curiosity. She saw Draco share a few words with the shop owner and slipping him a few galleons.

"What was that about?" Ginny asked as they got to the trapped door.

"Just some business," Draco said in a sort of mischievous voice. "Here, I'll go first." Draco jumped down and the unknown sludge substance that coated the tunnel splashed up at the bottom of his pants.

"Oh God, it was much easier going up." Ginny sat at the edge and Draco had her by her waist. Ginny landed much harder than Draco. Her feet slipped when she landed and she drug Draco down with her. She was stunned a minute but then starting laughing loudly. Draco followed suit and laughed with her.

"How graceful," he managed to get out between his laughs.

"At least you landed on top." Ginny continued laughing but Draco had stopped. He was staring at her with a look of genuine content.

"I suppose I should let you get up." Draco got up carefully so as to not fall in the mess again. He pulled Ginny up who let out a little shout. "Ladies first," he said in about THE sexiest voice Ginny had heard. She blushed at her own thoughts and went ahead.

They two of them had been talking a lot more than the first time up the tunnel. Sharing stories and swapping "secrets" that weren't so secret.

"So, you and Pansy are dating?"

"Well, in a sense. No one ever really 'dates' Pansy. We all just take our turns with her." Draco had his hands on the ceiling on the tunnel making sure to not end up in the thick muck they were walking in because now it was quite disgusting.

"That's awful! Even for her." Sure Ginny hated her but she felt that no woman should be treated like an object to have and to trade.

"Take it up with her," Draco responded in defense.

"What do you mean?"

"Pansy would rather shag someone than date them. I don't know why but she does. It's just how she is."

"Oh," Ginny said dumbly. The Weasely family trait of putting you foot in your mouth was indeed passed down to her.

A silence fell for a while, Ginny didn't know about Draco but she was feeling way uncomfortable in that sort of silence.

"I think we should get some light going. It's freaking me out to be walking in sludge in the dark." Just as she said it a thick wad of eeky crap fell on to her head. "Eww."

"Trust me, its much better this way."

"And how may I ask?" She tried to wipe off some of the thick goo of her head but all it did was slide off her head to her back. She shivered.

"Let's pretend that you could see this shit," he began.

"Uh huh."

"Now, imagine from what it feels like to what it looks like."

"Yeah,"

"Okay, now would EVER walk in it at all?"

"N-" she stopped. Point for Draco.

Of course they continued on through the disgusting tunnel of stuff no one really wants to know what. They got outside where it had stopped snowing and it was a brisk clear night.

"Well, I'm sure we must be a sight for sore eyes," Draco said with a laugh as he noticed how dirty the both were.

"I bet. Anyway, you really didn't have to walk me all the way back." Ginny saw the secret entrance to the castle that her brothers, Fred and George had shown her back in her first year. Thank God for them, she thought.

"And leave you to brave the muck and the mire by yourself?"

"Hey, I'm tough. I could've handled it," Ginny responded defensively.

"I'm sure. As soon as you went 'Luminous' you would've been so grossed out that you would've been stopped in your tracks. I, of course, would help you out but not before I reminded you that you did need help. So, in the grand scheme of things, you saved us some time."

Ginny laughed, "Aren't we the modest one?"

"Arrogant as the day is long, I know." Draco took a bow. "This is an awfully useful entrance," he said as soon as he noticed where Ginny was walking to.

"Isn't it just brilliant? I love this-" Ginny let out a mental opps.

Draco turned to her as his eyebrows shot up in a surprised sort of way. "Well, well, well look at you. How many times have we used this entrance, and exit I suppose?"

"Too many times to count, you know me. I'm such a bad egg."

He laughed, "I can tell. Only really bad asses bust out the bad egg saying."

"Hey, you better watch out. Me and my crazy self could do something awful to your manicured face." Ginny had stopped in front of him, affecting toughness.

"Not the face!" Draco gasped.

"Yeah, and I might even hurt something that's a little," Ginny lowered her voice and let her eyes travel down and back up to his face again, "further south."

Draco was pretty much speechless due to Ginny's racy comments. It was quite unpredictable and he liked it. Ginny turned forward to continue walking seeing as how the entrance was still a bit away. Draco walked behind her and she continued speaking.

"Of course that whole nasty situation could be totally avoided."

"And how may that be?"

"It would help you to stop calling me any derogatory terms."

"Such as?" Draco asked in a voice that was feigning ignorance.

"Such clever beauties as Weasel, or Weaslette. Things of that nature."

"I can not be held responsible for what I do or say when I'm in a mood," he said defensively.

"Nor can I. But you can be in a mood all the time because then would just be your attitude and if that was true I doubt I'd be talking to you."

"Now who's modest?"

"Modest as the day is long." Ginny suppressed a little smile that Draco wouldn't have seen anyway.

"Fine, no more name calling."

"That's a good start."

"You're fitting me for a short leash."

"Hardly! You be surprised how many people are decent to each other. There's quite a bit of them."

"Softies."

Ginny whipped around to tell Draco how dumb he was being but she was cut off. Draco grabbed her and kissed her a little hard but lightened up when he was sure he had hit his target. Ginny tried to yell at him for having that sort of audacity but she couldn't speak because Draco was latched on to her face pretty strong. And soon after that her tongue was busy doing something else. As the moments dragged on the kiss became more tender and by any by it was light little peck. Then Ginny and Draco pulled away ever so slowly as if they were in a daze and were too drunk to move faster than that. When Draco opened his eyes Ginny's were still closed reveling in the most awesome kiss she's ever had.

When her eyes did open she saw a smiling Draco. All she could get out was a wow. Then two steps more they were at Ginny's favorite entrance. They hugged each other in a sweet sort of way and Draco walked back to tunnel to return to his by now waiting carriage. It was time for him to go home and continue his real world but his journey into a fantasy was nice.

Ginny dexterously made her way to the common room. She practically ran into the shower and was overjoyed to get that terrible smell off of her. After that she fell on to her bed and let out a little girly sigh. How could she not? That had been the cutest, and not to mention grossest nights of her life. She was feeling tired but was awake thinking about that kiss and about Draco. She was 'awoken' in sense from her daze when she heard someone talking or more like mumbling loudly. Then she heard a loud thud. More than anything Ginny wanted to not pay attention to it and fall back into herself but that wasn't the way she was brought up (nor the way she wanted to be) so she went down to check out what going on.

There on the old, deep red couch was Harry Potter, the boy that lived, the boy that passed out. Ginny went up to her bed and grabbed an old blanket to bring back to Harry. She draped it over him and she tucked him in. As she stood up, Ginny took a minute to smile at the semi-cuteness of Harry asleep. That was completely ruined when he began snoring. Having taken plenty good care of him she left to go back to her room.

A/N: Wow that was ridiculous how long I took getting this to you. Many sorrys! Please review.


	22. Of White Teeth and Hard

A/N: Thank you to Swimfan and Nickel, again. Thank you to all my readers too. Not much to say so I guess I should get on with it then.

Disclaimer: blah, blah, blah,

* * *

As Ginny lied awake in her moderately warm bed the reason why she was running earlier suddenly hit her. She smacked her head, "Shit." She was supposed to meet up with Colleen and Tara. They were going to be so pissed at her. Oh, well they would just have to get over it. Ginny had just had the best night ever and there was no way anyone was going to make her feel bad about having it.

She was unsure of whether to tell any of her friends that she had kissed Draco, or even hung out with him at all. Sure, everyone in school had seen her and Draco kiss but her good friends later found out that it was a bet. Ginny didn't know why, but another major reason she was iffy on the subject was how Draco felt about it. She was actually concerned if he wouldn't want people to know he had been voluntarily spending his evening with a Weasely. It was sort of dumb but she still thought it.

Judging by the small amount of light outside Ginny guessed that it was pretty early. Seeing as how she was completely awake anyway she got to work. Her usual homework didn't take her long at all, about an hour or so which wasn't out of the ordinary one way or the other. But then she got to the meter long essay on Sage Root. Not only did she not know anything about sage root personally, her potions textbook didn't mention more than a paragraph on it. And on top of that, the paragraph had nothing to do with how sage root affects one's life. Ginny stared at it for little bit and then packed up her stuff that was littered about her bed saying, "off to the library."

She took a seat at one of the many uncomfortable chairs at one of the many wooden tables and began her work. Luckily enough she had found a text book titled, "Everything you wanted to know about Roots," and then subtitled, "and some things you didn't." And that title proved quite true because the first sentence Ginny read said, "Roots help everything from the whiteness of your teeth the hardness of your wizard's…." and she stopped right there and immediately looked up sage root in the index. Unfortunately this book too, didn't really mention sage root.

Ginny closed her eyes in a brief moment of silent frustration and then she felt someone put their cold hands over her eyes. "Guess who?" they asked in a faux voice.

"Hmm…" Ginny wondered silently. "Ron," she said as she took the hands off her eyes and looked up into her brother's eyes.

"You're good." Ron took a seat opposite her.

"No, you just have really cold hands."

"Fine. Anyway, I haven't sat down to talk to you in a while."

"That's very true."

"So…"

"So…what? There's a reason we don't really talk. There's nothing to talk about."

"Not true. We could talk about you." Ron leaned back in his chair and looked at his little sister.

"What about me."

"Hmm…besides the whole Malfoy thing, which I'm sorta kinda over. We could discuss your lovely run in with Pansy Parkinson."

"Oh that. Well, what have you heard?"

"That you smacked her across the head with a textbook and Snape gave you detention for a month," he responded in an almost disinterested voice.

"Close. I only have detention for 2 weeks and I got a meter long essay to do."

"No way," he laughed.

"Way."

"Sad to have missed it. So, did you start detention last night then?"

"No, why?"

"Because you were out pretty late."

'Damn,' she thought. 'I need to think before I talk.' "You know me. I party into the wee hours of the morning."

"I was out too, so I guess I can't really say anything but I will all the same."

"What were you doing?" Ginny raised her eyebrow.

"I was with Mary, not that you needed to know."

"I would've found out anyway."

"Look Gin, I know you don't want to talk about it and I know that it's really not my place to say,"

"But you will anyway."

"Why are talking to Malfoy."

"Besides the fact that I find him interesting and a decent person to talk to?"

"See, Harry is dead set against you hanging around him and I want to know why you just won't hear him out on it."

"I have. It's the same crap that he says about Malfoy every day. Besides, why should I have to bend to Harry anyway?"

Ron let out a little sigh and bowed his head. He knew his sister was as stubborn as him so this persuasion was doomed to begin with. "Okay, Gin."

Ginny paused a minute, "what's okay?"

"I won't complain about Malfoy anymore."

"What?"

"What I'm saying is that I am going to be openly okay about you and Malfoy thing. But only as friends, anymore of that snogging business I knock his bloody head off."

"Really?"

"Yes. You may not believe it but I only have the best intentions, Gin. I got to go, but I'll talk to you later."

"What about Harry?" she said bitterly.

"Well, let's just count on him being Harry. Bye sis." And with that Ron got up and walked out the library with a shocked Ginny left behind.

* * *

Draco darted out of the store into the rain. The uneven street was mostly one massive puddle. He kept his head down and his collar up. He ran until he got the alley he was looking for. A black cat with a huge gray spot was trying to keep out of the pouring rain. He saw the green door with the many rusted holes. Some voices could be heard inside and Draco swallowed his fear and walked on in.

"Who're you?" a fat man standing the corner asked gruffly.

"No one," Draco responded as he whipped as his wand and knocked the man unconscious. He walked up the passed outman and searched him. "God, did you ever hear of a shower?" Draco asked. The rank smell of the man was making him nauseous. Draco found a wand and broke it. Then he found the man's ID card and snatched it. He looked on the back of it and scrawled there in the most horrible handwriting was, "Vomit flavored beans."

He continued on through the room that was narrow enough to be a hallway and made it to the other door. He tried the knob, but it was locked. He did every locking spell he could think of and then he remembered the ID card. "Vomit flavored beans," he said in a voice similar to the fat smelly man from before. The door opened a crack and a light came through, Draco peered in to see how many people where in the room. He counted 7 but wasn't sure. Then before he knew what had happened he felt someone push into the room and then he felt the sensation of cold steel to the back his neck.

"What're you doin' boy?" This man smelt just as bad the one before Draco noted. He looked around the room where all the men were brandishing some sort of weapon but none of them had wands out which Draco found weird. "You deaf?" The man smacked Draco on the back of the head. "Who're you?"

Draco didn't say a word and the impatient man got another malodorous fatty to get him a chair and some rope. 'Damn it I hate rope burn,' he thought to himself. However they didn't check him for weapons so Draco still had his wand. Once those idiots had finally gotten him the chair the real questioning began. They were pretty violent and slapped him a bunch of times. For some reason these men had it in their heads that Draco worked for 'Lou' who ever that was. He stayed quiet. Finally the men got really angry.

"Fine, you wan' it your way? Joe!"

Joe came up to Draco and took his cigarette out his mouth. Then he tore Draco's shirt and stabbed him with the still light cigarette. Draco stared straight at the man the whole time. Being impressed Joe called for some other guy, George. George had a slightly more threatening device. Smack! The chain came slamming across his face with a terrible force.

A/N: what a lovely cliffie. Review or Draco dies! MUHAHAH! (just kidding. or am I?)


	23. Mary Queen of Scotts

A/N: Thank you:

Pryo: yea you guys are lucky that I love Draco and that I love y'all….

Nickel: really, who IS Lou? I'm sure he wants to know too. I know that came out of nowhere but it was meant to. Keep reading, it all comes together soon.

AttieOrion: Cool pseudonym…and I won't kill Draco but I can't speak for other people in the story though…(just kidding?)

Swinfan: Does it help if I say it was very difficult to write. (Especially when he hit him in the face! Not his face!)

Dranius: I had the worst day and then I got your review and it made me really happy!

Thank you guys so! I promise quick updates.

Disclaimer: yada yada yada

"Just finish him off," a voice sang out in a cockney accent. Another man whipped out a gun and went to pull the trigger.

"Not in here you moron! You'll stain the floor. Jeez, go outside with that thing!"

So Draco was untied and lifted off the chair by two ugly, smelly buffoons whose combined IQ may very well have been 22. They drug him by his armpits out of the large room and continued on until they were outside where it was still raining. The assumed dead eyes of Draco's flashed open as soon as the door closed behind them. He snapped up his left arm and punched the one guy in the face. Then when that guy let go of Draco's arm he whipped his fist around to smack the other joker in the mouth. Both idiots landed on the hard cobblestone with a thud and staggered to get up. Quickly and smoothly as if perfectly orchestrated Draco brought out his wand and he performed another knock out spell. The two men's eyes rolled back and their bodies went limp on the ground.

Draco ran out of the alley and on to the main street. He darted back into the shop from before and nodded to the shop keeper as he ran to the back room. As he threw the flu into the fireplace he shouted, "Malfoy Manor!" A fast burst of green flames and Draco was gone.

3 hours later Ginny was writing like mad because an idea had struck her. While she was researching Sage Root she noticed a lot of potions which were 'cocktail' potions (in that they have a whole big mix of everything in them) had their main basis of Guriopens aferdesian, which turned out to be the scientific name for, you guessed it, Sage Root! When she made this initial discovery she yelled, "Whoohoo!" and did a dance. That lead to her being thrown out of the library for two days, which is why she was sitting in the Great Hall.

When she realized she was near the meter mark she quickly wrapped up her essay's conclusion and then threw down her pen. Ginny almost couldn't wait to shove it in Snape's face that she had actually completed the assignment. She just wanted to toss the paper on his desk and sing out, "Na-na-na!" Being the bigger person, she decided she would refrain. When she woke up from her daydream she left the Great Hall and sauntered around the castle. She noticed how empty the place was and the only person she saw in her traveling was Madame Pompfery who was in a sour mood. As was her custom she was muttering about the irresponsible youths she had to put up with. For a second Ginny wondered if Harry had found a way back into the infirmary but she soon reminded herself that she didn't care about Harry.

Harry woke up in a very awkward position on the plush red couch in the common room. Somehow his left leg was draped over the top of the couch and his head was sort of squashed into the arm rest. And thus provided him with a killer Charlie horse and quite a bit of neck pain. He didn't remember much of the previous night except for the fact that he had cursed out the Fat Lady.

He chuckled to himself a minute and then rose from the couch and rubbed his throbbing head. Fortunately, he knew he didn't see Hermione which ultimately meant he didn't hurt anyone he didn't mean to. However that thought reminded him that he was waiting for something last night. He couldn't figure out what and although he pretended that he didn't care, throughout his entire day all he could wonder was: what he was waiting for?

"Oh well," Harry said aloud as he left the common room to take a shower. He remembered the prank he pulled not so long ago with a laugh. Though it was extremely obnoxious what he did to Ginny he could never forget her face. Priceless. Leaving his homework for another day Harry went to the Quidditch pitch to hone up on his skills for the upcoming Gryffindor vs. Slytherin game. As he was walking out there he was disappointed by the lack of people practicing.

On the surface Harry said that he liked seeing people at the pitch because he liked to see kids on his team actually practicing. But really, he liked people around him, and he was a bit of a show off. Harry got the pitch assuming no one was there, soon after his kick off he was proven wrong.

"Gin?" he asked tentatively knowing that she probably still hated his guts.

Ginny was taken by complete surprise and turned around to find Harry giving her a questioning look. "Harry," she said in a flat voice.

'Oh yeah, she's pissed,' He thought. "I've never really seen you here."

Ginny could've said something really bitchy but she decided it wasn't worth it. "Yeah, I didn't really come here until this year."

"Oh." Harry decided his conversation with Ginny wasn't going to go anywhere and so he went to do something constructive. He started off slow with some easy speed exercises. Then he went about his normal routine. During his last exercise, which was maintaining speed while zig zaging around the stands, he felt a sting of pain in his upper left arm. This was a major problem for him because he was a leftie. He quickly landed to check out what was going on and he found out when he rolled up his sleeve.

Ginny was high above the pitch trying to put some distance between her and Harry. She wanted nothing to do with Harry right now and she was quite pissed that he was even here. She slowly circled around the pitch enjoying the mellowing affect it had. However her mellowness was destroyed when she noticed a loud curse emitted by Harry below.

Ginny couldn't help it, but no matter who was trouble and no matter when, her maternal side came shining through. She landed and walked over to a mumbling Harry.

"What happened?"

Harry's macho-ness kicked in and he hid his bleeding arm. "Nothing, I'm fine."

"Right, and I'm queen of Scotts. What's wrong?"

Harry tried to walk away from her but she grabbed him by the shoulder. "What is wrong?"

Harry stopped walking and Ginny rolled up his sleeve. "Whoa." Across the top of Harry's arm was a long deep gash, bleeding heavily. Normally Ginny was perform an easy healing spell but sticking out of his wound was a thick splinter. "What were you doing?"

"Practicing. Around the stands. I must've gotten too close." Harry said omitting the part of how badly it hurt.

"Duh." Ginny rolled his sleeve back down, "Alright, time to see your favorite person," she added facetiously.

Harry put up a fight but Ginny dragged him all the same. When they were just outside the door Harry stated lowly, "I thought you hated me."

"I do."

"Then why did you even bother to help me?"

"Honestly?" Ginny asked as she stopped outside the door waiting for it to be opened. (It was usually looked on the weekends). "I don't know."

After 10 minutes of standing outside the door the impatient Ginny used a looking spell. She dragged Harry over to a bed and threw him down. "Wait here."

She looked around for Madame Pomfrey and couldn't seem to find her anywhere. That was until she heard a weird little yelp of pain come from behind a door. How irresistible? Slowly Ginny turned the handle and pushed the door ever so carefully. Pomfrey's skirt is visible and Ginny decided to call out to her but stopped herself when she saw a patient inside…

A/N: eww that's so short. Better this than nothing I guess. I'm terribly sorry about how short this is, really. I plan to get you more chapters though. Review please.


	24. Can You do Me a Favor?

A/N: Again, I apologize for the shortness of the previous chapter.

* * *

"Is she here?" Harry yelled out to Ginny who turned around and hissed at him to shut up.

Too late. "Miss. Weasely! What are you doing in her?" Pomfery came storming out of the little room closing the door swiftly behind her.

"I was just looking for you. I'm sorry to intrude but Potter hurt his arm-" at the very mention of Harry's name Madame Pomfery rolled her eyes and started walking. They entered the room where Harry was indeed sitting where Ginny had assigned him.

"Mr. Potter, is it impossible for you to remain healthy for a week?" Pomfery asked as she examined his arm.

"Oy!" Harry bit his lip to prevent anything impolite to escape his sometimes vulgar mouth.

"Painful?" Ginny asked in a cheery voice, mocking him.

"Just a bit," he responded through clenched teeth.

Pomfery put Harry's arm down gently. "Miss. Weasely, a moment please?"

"Sure," Ginny uncrossed her arms from her chest and walked to back of the room.

"Now, shall I assume he hurt himself in a normal circumstance?"

Ginny paused. The little devil on her shoulder was suggested something that her angel wouldn't approve of. Like usual, she ignored them both. "Yes, yes you can."

"Good. Miss. Weasely I understand that you have a sort of knack for my kind of work." Pomfery began with a smile.

"You do?" 'Okay lady where is this going…' Ginny secretly thought.

"Yes. May I ask you a favor?"

"Sure," she responded slowly.

"Fantastic. I have another patient who needs my complete attention at the moment; would you please attend to Mr. Potter? Now, I know that splinter is a little intimidating but just take it one step at a time. Due to your lack of experience you'll have to remove the splinter manually. You'll find the proper tool for that in my cabinet. After that, the rest is easy peasy." Madame Pomfery looked at Ginny was a warm smile that made it very hard for Ginny to even consider turning her down.

"Okay Madame."

"Thank you very much. You'll do great," she added walking away.

'How weird is this?' Ginny made her way to Madame Pomfery's office to get some tweezers and gauze. As she approached Harry he gave her a quizzical look.

"What are you doing?"

"Pomfery asked me to help her out."

"By doing what?" Harry stood up.

"Killing you. Jeez, what do you think? I'm here to take care of you laceration." Ginny threw in a medical term to prove to Harry that she knew what she was doing.

Harry stared at her as he clenched his arm. His lips were thin and his eyes small.

"I know what I'm doing. If I mess up you can yell and scream at me all you want. Just trust me on this, okay?"

After an awkward pause Harry slowly sat down and he relaxed his features a little. After Ginny was done cleaning up his wound she took the tweezers off from the nightstand next to the bed. Harry jumped up, "Whoa! What are those all about?"

"How else am I supposed to get the splinter out?"

"Magic!"

"I don't know any anti splinter spells!"

"Then get Pomfery! Ahh, get away from me with those!" Harry scurried to the other side of the bed.

"She's busy. You can't stand there and tell me that you're scared of tweezers?"

"They're really big," Harry said dumbly.

"Oh, c'mon. No they're not." Seeing that Harry was not coming anywhere near the big bad tweezers Ginny decided to compromise. "Alright, we'll do it you're way. See? I'm putting them away." Ginny put the tweezers behind her as Harry began walking towards her again.

Just as Harry sat down where he was originally, Ginny propelled her foot towards Harry's shin. He bent over to grab his shin, now in horrible pain just Ginny brought her arm holding the tweezers back around. Before Harry could do anything, her free hand grabbed his arm as the other plucked out the splinter.

He looked up at Ginny who was staring at the gigantic splinter still held by the tweezers' teeth. "Ow," he breathed out coarsely.

* * *

"Madame?" Ginny asked as she lightly tapped on her door. "I took care of Harry and returned your tweezers."

"Thank you dear," she answered from inside. "Please lock the door when you leave."

"Yes."

Ginny walked towards the exit and grabbed her broom that she must've left on the floor earlier. She was supremely pleased with herself. Not many people knew that she wanted to be a nurse of sorts. "How did Madame Pomfery know?" she asked aloud as she left the infirmary locking the door.

"I believe I was the one who told her that."

Ginny turned towards the familiar voice. "Professor Dumbledore! I didn't see you there."

"Of course not. I was behind you. I suppose you're a little confused."

"I am," she said truthfully.

Dumbledore took out a candy from his robes and nosily unwrapped it. "Lemon drop?"

"No thanks."

He popped it into his mouth and made the yummy sound. "Well, I was informed of your aptitude of healing from your brother."

"Really?"

"Yes, I remember one time whenI was in the hospitalWinghe brought in Harry for something or other; you know how he's always hurt,"

"I do."

"He explained that at home you're usually the one cleaning up your family's cuts and bruises."

"I get a lot of experience with they way they play Quidditch."

Dumbledore laughed, "I'm sure. Anyway, I told Madame Pomfery that if she needed help, and if you were there, not to hesitate to ask."

"Oh."

"Was I wrong in suggesting that?"

"No, I enjoy that sort of thing."

"Good. Nice to see you," he smiled. Dumbledore walked away humming to himself.

'Okay…this is definitely odd.'

* * *

"What the hell were you doing?"

Draco painfully turned his head and saw Snape. "My job."

"Be more specific! Just look at you!"

"I was there, I was so close." Draco made a fist.

"Close to death."

"You have no idea. Those bloody gits accused me of working for some Lou guy."

"I will overlook you language as a symptom of you condition." Snape shook his head.

"Do you know who Lou is?" Draco released is fist.

"No, I think I'm glad I don't. Where were you?"

"Outside of London," he responded casually.

"Where!"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Draco shifted uncomfortably.

"Why do I bother?" Snape asked underneath his breath.

Draco ignored Snape's comment. "He's there. He's got to be. One of the henchmen idiots had a wand. He was guarding the outside of the room."

"Are they there now?" Snape asked excitedly.

"No, far gone by now. They probably noticed the unconscious bodies lying around," he said looking at Snape who gave him a disapproving look. "I didn't kill anyone."

"Merlin help me if you did." Snape rose from the seat next to his pupil's bed. "Well, I have to talk to Professor Dumbledore," Snape said knowingly.

"About?" Draco asked very curiously.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Snape left the room.

'Bastard,' Draco laughed.

A/N: hurrah, that was longer. And quick! Thank you a.sam for you review! As always, Read and Review!


	25. Unmentionables mentioned

A/N: I am updating like crazy while I can. I don't know what kind of shit storm is awaiting me at school. But for now, VIVE SPRING BREAK! Anyways, thank you Antonia! (really pretty name by the way). Like always, please review.

The common room was always cold in the winter time. But today was especially bad because the ferocious winds outside constantly blew out the fire. Most students decided to remain in bed under their heavy comforters. There were a couple of students in the common room all the same.

"Harry, you all packed?" Ron asked as he made his way down the stairs.

"Oh, about that, I don't know if I'm leaving." Harry was sitting on the plush red couch like usual. Because of the weather it was probably the coldest spot in the entire tower (it was situated right in front of the fireplace.) That didn't stop Harry though, that couch was his favorite spot and come hell or high water he would sit there.

"Why? You hate staying here on Christmas." Ron sat down beside him and shivered as a freezing draft flew past him.

"Yeah, but I don't think it would be good idea, ya know?"

Ron finally caught on to what he was saying, "Oh, don't worry about Gin,"

"Ron, she hates me." Harry stated looking up.

"So? That doesn't mean she'll make a scene of it."

"I don't know," Harry began.

"Yeah and I do." Ron got up and started back for the stairs. "Its bloody cold down here, I'm going back to bed. Oh, and Harry? You're coming." Ron wouldn't hear anymore of it and Harry knew that so he too went upstairs to pack.

Ginny was sleeping soundly knowing that she had finished her detention with Snape. He was surprised, to say the least, when she handed him the meter long essay on Sage Root totally completed. The two weeks of detention weren't so bad, minus the constant criticism of her cleaning, organizing and filing skills. Actually they were that bad. But it didn't matter; all they were to her now were bad memories.

Tomorrow was the day all the students who wanted to, left for their families to celebrate Christmas. She wasn't looking forward to her break that much. Normally all of her brothers would come and her family would have the best of times but this year none of them could come. Except Ron of course.

Her brothers were sweet enough to tell her before hand via owl and when she first heard about it she thought it would be perfect. Just herself and Ron for their parents to spoil sounded great. But as of last night those dreams were shattered. Ron, being the good friend he was, refused to let Harry spend the break alone. So, Ron asked permission and received it (of course) therefore there would be three.

Well, really only two. Ginny's mother loved Harry and spoiled him as much as she could. Ron was always on their parents' good side. But Ginny would be completely overlooked which didn't usually matter when her other siblings were there. Her parents were great and she wasn't complaining about them. It's just sometimes they get a little distracted and forget about her, or at least she thought they did.

"GINNY! IF YOU DON'T GET YOUR ARSE DOWN HER IN TWO MINUTES," Ron threatened from the common room.

It was morning but it certainly didn't look that way. The sky was dark and there was no light shining through the windows, hence why Ginny overslept. "KEEP YOUR PANTS ON! I'M COMING!" she shouted back.

Damn it, her trunk wouldn't close. It wasn't that she had too much stuff or anything like that but the latch just broke. "Perfect," she muttered. She found some string and wrapped it around her trunk several times praying that it would hold.

Ginny, Harry and Ron ran to the train and just made it. Ron and Harry picked out the first available compartment and plopped down. Ginny followed behind and threw down her trunk which then broke open spilling all of Ginny clothing (including her unmentionables) on to the compartment floor.

"For love of Merlin!" she cried as she knelt down gathering up her clothing.

"Here," Harry said as he handed her a shirt that landed on his feet.

She snatched it away and tossed back into the trunk. "Thanks."

"What the hell is this?" Ron asked as calmly as he could.

Ginny looked up and saw a pair of one her sexier panties dangling from Ron's knee. "Umm…that would be underwear."

"First, get it off me. Second, why do you need something like that if it is worn under your clothing?" Ron's face began to flush which was always a precursor to him getting angry.

"Calm down. They're nice. Despite your thoughts, I AM a girl, Ron." Ginny grabbed the lacy black pseudo thong underwear off his knee and put it in her trunk. She again tried to close her trunk but to no avail. Flustered she kicked it and left the room muttering.

"I don't think I was wrong there," Ron stated after Ginny had left the room. "Why would she, MY SISTER, need something like those!"

"It's best to not think about it Ron," Harry advised.

'Idiot,' she thought to herself. Sometimes she just wanted to take Ron's stupid head and smack it hard. Yeah, he was looking out for her and he had the best of intentions but he could be so unbearable.

Now she was on a quest to find a compartment, it didn't need to be empty, just needed to not have anyone she knew in it. Once found she would fall asleep and forget the look Harry had on his face when he saw her racy underwear. She mentally shivered.

"Lost?" she called out to a certain blonde headed boy.

He turned around and saw Ginny smirking at him the way he would smirk at her. "Look who it is."

"Where have you been recently? I hadn't seen you in two weeks." She walked toward him slowly.

He followed suit and came towards her, "Do I detect a hint of sadness in your voice?"

Ginny without hesitation answered, "You wish." She stopped walking.

"It would be pointless to wish for something that I already have."

"But what if you didn't have it?" Ginny raised an eyebrow feeling that she had won.

"Then the sadness would be in my voice," Draco said staring straight into her eyes.

Ginny felt like all the air had been knocked out of her lungs. He just stared at her and Ginny couldn't take it. She had to say something or do something. She threw out a hand and gently hit him on the shoulder, "Shut it," she said with a laugh.

Draco took the hit for a second and then grabbed her waist. He pulled Ginny close to him and reached his hand behind her neck. Their lips met with passion that surprised the both of them. A bump caused them to break apart; they fell down and their unsuspecting bodies collided with the hard train floor.

Ginny slowly opened her eyes when she realized what had happened. She then noticed that she was on the floor. And soon after that she saw Draco grabbing his ribs as he tried to stand. She then began to lift herself up and shook her head trying to regain her bearings.

"You alright, Gin?"

She looked up to see Harry walking towards the two. He was acting weird though, he didn't seem to have the same malice that he usually contained when Draco was in his presence. Taken aback by everything she let out a grunt unable to verbalize herself yet.

"I'll take that as a yes. Here," Harry reached out and helped her up.

"Uh, thanks." She was very much unsure of Harry. She didn't know if he was being sincere or just waiting until they were out of earshot before chastising her. "Draco!" She said just remembering that he too had fallen. She knelt down and put her mouth to his ears so only he could hear her, "Sorry." Then she helped him up. "You okay?"

"More or less." He fixed his posture and his robes. "Potter," he said rigidly but not meanly.

"Malfoy," Harry mimicked.

Draco turned to Ginny and nodded at her before he went on down the corridor of the train.

'Can't anything be normal anymore?' Ginny wondered to herself.

Ginny never did get to find that compartment. Harry brought her back to his and Ron's. She fell asleep while Harry and Ron were having another Quidditch debate. Her lovely little sleep didn't last long; she was woken up by Ron who was shaking her.

"Ginny!" he sang at her.

"Stop. Sleeeep." Ginny curled up in a little ball. She knew that she had to get up sooner or later. It would later then.

Ron shook her harder and finally Ginny sat up. When her eyes fully opened she remembered that he trunk was broken. 'How am I supposed to carry that piece of crap now?'

"Ron, where's my trunk?"

"I got it."

Curious as to how he would be able to carry it Ginny quicken her step to catch up with her brother. Ron was practically off the train and she was not even 4 meters from the compartment. She was hustling in a throng of students. She jumped up to see over all the other's heads to see if Ron was anywhere in sight. Nope, he got off already.

An arm lurched out and grabbed her own. She was pulled into one of the compartments. "What the hel-" she began. She was silenced however a hand over her mouth. She then saw her captor and she smiled. "You are ridiculous."

"I didn't get to wish you a happy Christmas." Draco had her pinned up against the door. His hair was still in disarray from earlier and he was smirking at her. When he was this close Ginny could see everything of his facial features. She saw the small creases at the corners of his eyes that only would appear if he was smiling (or at least however close he could get to smiling). She saw a small freckle that she hadn't ever noticed before. It was on his neck, almost under his jaw. "Well, are you going to?"

He pulled her in for a kiss but she moved her head. Before he could say anything she decided to make good use of the information she had learned just a second ago. She found his adorable freckle and kissed it lightly. She pulled back and smiled at him, "Happy Christmas."

He laughed under his breath and resumed what he had in mind. After that kiss earlier he needed more. His only thought was to kiss her. He didn't care how odd a thought it was. It didn't matter to him that she was from a different House, or even a different social class. Right now all that mattered was that he was kissing her again.

Ginny's hand made its way up his neck and lightly tickled it. She heard a little moan from Draco, and she took that as a signal to continue. Her one hand was around his back feeling the lovely muscles underneath his robes. The other hand was still at the back of his neck, and then continued to the back of the head. She ran her hand through his hair feeling the absolute need to mess it up even more.

While doing that she hand found something, it was bumpy and big. "Draco?" she asked pulling away from him for a second.

"Hmm." When she pulled away, he moved from her mouth to her neck. 'She has such lovely skin,' he thought.

"What's that?" Ginny still had her hand on it, tracing it trying to get a grasp of what it could be.

"What?" He continued kissing her neck.

"That!" Ginny pressed it hard. Draco let out a little yelp and stepped back.

"That is a scab. Why did you have to hit it like that?"

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Boys are such pansies." She turned around to leave the compartment.

He grabbed her arm, "I still didn't get to wish you a happy Christmas."

"Draco, I've got to go. My family is going to kill me if I make them wait any longer." She left but not before she gave his a little kiss on the check.

"Happy Christmas!" He shouted from the compartment.

A/N: the next chapter is going to be Christmas with the Weasely's! Aren't you excited? Anyways, please review. I love your thoughts.


	26. Christmas With the Weasleys P1

A/N: Thanks, blondegolfer.opps.sorry, ArticAnglezTx (that HP RPG thing is cool), and Nickel (always ask questions. I promise to leave no loose ends. Wink.) I appreciate your reviews! Thanks again! Much Love!

Disclaimer: I disclaim…for now.

It had been 3 hours. Only three hours since she arrived home. Why was time suddenly slowed to a crawl? It was because some higher being, somewhere, was having one hell of a good laugh. She sighed. She was currently sitting at the table where her mom was asking the two boys every little question about school and life in general.

The kitchen had obviously been cleaned up. Her mother always wanted to make a good impression. Harry didn't care if the Weaselys lived in a shoe, he would still appreciate them all the same, and respect them as if they owned the biggest house on the south of France. That was always a good thing about Harry, you could knock him for being stubborn, and other things but he was never pompous or snotty.

Ginny was tired of the conversation and so she excused herself from the table. She went to her room. Though it wasn't large by any stretch it was still hers. She had never painted it but her brother, Percy, had found a neat spell that would make the walls change colour to her mood. That was back before he went to Hogwarts and got a stick up his ass. She was pretty little when he did it. It always mystified her though and so whenever she was in her room she was always happy.

She laid down on her bed and stared at the ceiling which was enchanted also. The whirl of colours made her feel sleepy. Before she would go to sleep she would always see the walls of her room turn green. Tonight however, the color was very tumultuous and the whirl was so great that they only discernible colour was gray. "Strange," she commented before drifting off.

Ugh, falling asleep in the late afternoon was stupid. It was sometime near 4 in the morning and she was completely awake. When she awoke the colors were still whirling but at a slower rate this time and the walls looked grayish blue. It was actually very pretty. After doing everything, short of her Christmas break homework, Ginny left her boring room. She had missed dinner and so now she was very hungry. Finding whatever left-overs she could, she gobbled them up speedily.

"Whoa, someone is hungry."

She turned around, sure of whom was addressing her. "Morning Harry."

"Good morning. Why are you up so early?" He stood across from her. She was sitting on the kitchen countertop. Her mother always chastised her for doing it so whenever mommy was not around she would seize the opportunity.

"The same question could be asked to you," Ginny said gracefully.

Having lost Harry simply responded, "True."

Ginny put down her plate in the sink right next to her and the returned her attention to Harry. "So are we just going to pretend like nothing ever happened or what?"

Harry affected confusion. "Pretend like what never happened?"

Ginny laughed, "Either boys are thick or you're acting." She paused and stared him dead straight in the eye. "You know what I'm talking about."

"Okay, here's the thing of it. I would love to apologize to you and say, 'You were right,'" he began.

Ginny cut him off by offering a simple solution. "Then do it."

"But I can't because you weren't completely right, and I was completely wrong." He smiled a little at her.

"Nothing is ever black and white," Ginny complained.

"Not usually."

"Alright, I'll bargain with you. And let it be known that I don't often bargain so consider yourself lucky."

Harry cut her off, "Oh, I'm so graced."

"Yes, well if you just tell me why you are concerned with my involvement with Draco then I'll forgive you for being an idiot." She finished feeling it was perfectly reasonable.

"What? That's not a good bargain." He fidgeted with his frayed red tee shirt. "I've already explained it to you."

"No, don't try to bullshit me Harry. What you said to me was so generic and worn out. I know there is something else. I can tell. You are a good judge of character, usually, so for you to be so against someone must mean something important." She leaned forward and made sure she didn't lose contact with Harry's green eyes. He could never lie, she could tell from his eyes. "Don't dare try to lie Harry," she warned.

Harry only took a second to appreciate Ginny's analytical mind. "I don't lie," he said seriously. "I also don't break promises." His eyes had a new found intensity and Ginny felt like she was staring right into the sun. She couldn't break the stare but it was so hard to continue looking at his ominous green orbs.

She finally did give into his gaze and lowered her head. "Sorry." There was a silence soon broken.

"It's okay," Harry said in a low voice. His head was now lowered as well. His eyes were fixated on his shirt.

Ginny looked up. "Look, I don't want to ruin Christmas for either of us. So why don't we just forget about it for a while," she said hoping he would agree, otherwise things were going to be pretty chilly in the Weasely house.

Harry looked up and as quickly as he had gotten upset, he was content again. "Okay."

Ginny jumped down from the counter, "good. I'm bored, what should we do now?"

"We? I was going back to bed," he laughed walking out of the kitchen.

Ginny tugged at his shirt, "no you're not. You are keeping me entertained."

Harry put up a valiant effort to make it back to the stairs but Ginny kept an iron fist around his shirt. Finally he gave up and the two brainstormed on something they could do until the others woke up. Harry had suggested sleeping but it was turned down by the fully awake Ginny.

"Well, did you wrap your gifts?"

"No, I haven't gotten them yet." Ginny and her family all went out to buy each other's gifts two days before Christmas, which was tomorrow.

"Right, I forgot. When you get them I can show you the ancient muggle art of gift wrapping."

"Don't you just point your wand at it?"

"Muggles can't and not so long ago I thought I couldn't either. I had to wrap all of my cousin's gifts for my aunt and uncle. I wish I had a pound for every paper cut I received."

Ginny just stared at him. What was a pound? She felt dumb asking but did so all the same. Harry explained it to her. "But you already have a lot of money."

"I guess that saying doesn't quite work anymore. Hmm." Harry pondered a moment. How things had changed. Sigh…

The two of them were sitting in the living room near the fire. The one couch was tattered and green, the second, slightly smaller one, was white with many unexplainable stains, and the third, medium sized couch was old, worn out, and faded red. Harry was sitting on that one and Ginny was on the green one. They discussed things that were simple and casual. Not once did the talk about Hogwarts or the harsh memories that the both had associated with it. There was a silence in which Harry had thought (or wished) Ginny had fell asleep, thereby letting him get some rest as well. Mr. Weasely kept him up late, asking about different muggle objects and such.

"Harry?" Ginny asked ruining Harry's chance at getting rest.

"Yeah."

She rolled over so she was lying on her side with her head propped up by her arm. "What was life like before you knew you were a wizard." This was a topic that Ginny found most fascinating. She had been exposed to magic all her life, but he had been thrown into it. It was something she knew nothing about.

He let out a huff of air. "Wow. I guess its true was Teen Witch Weekly says," he tried to mutter inaudibly.

She heard and giggled. "What does TWW say these days Harry?"

"That you girls ask all the deep questions late at night," he responded angry that she had heard him.

"I guess so. But seriously." She returned Harry to the subject at hand.

"Life before magic. Well, it was…simpler. There were no spells to memorize or potions to perfect. There wasn't a Voldermort to worry about. There were other criminals, though, like this psycho spy, Zakley."

"Oh."

"But it was far duller. There were no mysteries to solve or people to beat up. There wasn't anything to do, or at least for me."

"What was the worst part of it, the un-magical life I mean," she stared straight at him. He was lying face up on the couch, and his eyes sparkled in the flittering light.

He paused, obviously calculating in his mind. "It was lonely," he said simply. "I had no friends. I never went anywhere, minus school and the rare times Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had to take me." Struck with a thought he turned over to Ginny, "Like this one time they took me to the zoo," he began. He explained to her what the zoo was and the creatures it contained. He told her about the snake and the look on Dudley's face.

"Do you still see them?" Ginny inquired after she had finished laughing.

Harry shook his head. "Not really. I try my best to not. It's hard to believe that life was my reality. I just think about it sometimes and," he stopped because he was at a loss for words.

"You're blown away," Ginny added. Harry nodded his head. "I get like that sometimes. Although mine is on a complete different level but I have an idea of what you're talking about."

"What wows you?"

"Life at the Burrow back in the day. Back when I was young and most of us weren't in Hogwarts yet. And even George and Fred's first year. It's funny how things change."

"Its funnier how people change," Harry commented. "I can vividly recall your friend Mary when she was a first year and how uptight she was. She nearly knocked me on my arse once to get to class early! Not even on time but early!"

Ginny chuckled, "yeah. But she loosened up. I think most people are like that in the beginning. I mean just like at Hermione." Just as she said it she regretted it. 'Fuck, I need to be conscious of who I talk to!' she thought.

Harry's lightness faded just at little. "You're right. I remember what a stickler for detail she was. She still is like that. At least now she doesn't correct the teachers. She eased up a lot when she started dating. She could be really fun when people showed her affection."

"Hermione? Fun?"

"Oh yeah. But then she had to go get her heart broken and screw it up for the rest of us." Harry was being pretty okay with the Hermione topic which was very shocking to Ginny.

"Oh. She was dating Neville right? Is that who you mean?" Oh, gossip! Ginny's favorite!

"Yeah. She would never talk about it though. That was the problem with her, she would never tell anybody if she was angry or sad or anything. She was also so stoic and there's only so much of that any one person can take. But she was our friend you know, she we just let her be and figured she would calm down sooner or later."

"But they broke up last year! She's still angry a year later?"

"I guess. By her silence I would assume so."

"Then why would she go out with you if she was still hurting from Neville?" Wow, she didn't know that Hermione was this screwed up.

"I have no idea." He paused and sat up. He leaned forward. "I didn't want to date her."

Ginny was being trusted with this information but why? Oh who cares why! She was finding out what was really going on in the inner circle. "Really?"

He nodded. "I thought that maybe I could help her get over Neville by being there. I thought that she would open up to her boyfriend. I was wrong. Now, I think things are worse."

"Well, I guess I could see where you're coming from. But what if she, 'fell in love' with you or something, how were you going to help her after that? Have Ron date her?"

"I don't know. We didn't think that far ahead. Me and Ron just thought that maybe we could get in her head. Besides she would never fall for me if she was still in love with Neville." Harry was finally getting everything off his chest and for some reason he was trusting Ginny. He knew that she wouldn't go off telling everyone and their brother or something like that. He was almost kind of over what Herm had done. Sure it was awful but life goes on.

"Why did they even break up?" Ginny asked, confusion in her voice.

"Hermione had said that he didn't like her. She was certain that he liked some one else."

"Who?"

"I don't know. She wouldn't tell me anything past that. And I'm not that good of friends with Neville to go asking about it." Harry sat back and let out a breath. For once, Ginny had no reply. He was looking at the shadows from the fire dance on her face. Her hair was a little messed up and she was sitting up with her head in her hands and a pensive look on her face.

"I'm so glad that I'm not dating anyone. It seems too messy," she said while making an icky face.

"It can be. But I don't think you should be disillusioned with it, I mean that's just one person's experience. What about Ron and Mary? They're really happy."

Having lost she responded simply, "True. But I don't know. I don't like the idea of relying on someone so much. I would feel so vulnerable. I don't like that." She didn't know why she was even telling him this. Not so long ago, she hated Harry. Now she's telling him that she doesn't want to fall in love. 'Life can be odd like that I guess', she thought.

"That's just because you're pragmatic. And not to mention you don't have the best of memories dealing with vulnerability," Harry said hinting at the incident from her first year.

Merlin, he did read a lot of TWW. "What about you? What holds you back? Or have you been in love?" What a personal question. She hoped the mood of the room would allow it.

"I haven't been in love. I don't like getting close with anyone. It always backfires some how. I feel like I'm constantly waiting for the bottom to fall out. No one wants to be with a person who's just waiting for the breakup," he said sadly. "You know what's funny. I thought that I had gotten over that when I was with Hermione. I mean I knew I wasn't in love or anything but I thought that maybe I could get attached. I don't know, I guess that was stupid."

"It wasn't. You just felt comfortable with her because you were already friends with her. But being with Hermione helped you out."

"How?"

"It was the worst experience ever," she said as if it was completely obvious. Harry raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. "Now its nothing but up from here. I doubt you could get into a relationship more screwed up than that one."

"Think so?"

"I know so. Although you are a magnet for crazy situations."

They both laughed.


	27. Christmas With the Weasleys P2

A/N: Thank you to all who read. Thank you to all who reviewed, including: Nickel and Swimfan you guys review practically every chapter, I really appreciate it! Anyway, on with the show.

Disclaimer: when I rule the world I swear to God, there will be no more disclaimers! (Well, at least on my part anyway…)

The two of them giggled quietly as the walked up the stairs. The door was right in front of them and as a final confirmation of her sincerity he looked up. She nodded. Slowly he turned the handle and let her in ahead of him. He closed the door noiselessly and proceeded to the bed. She was already there kneeling by the side, her face very close the sleeping boy.

"Ron," her sweet voice rang out. No response. "Ron," she sang again. This time he moved his head. "RON!" she yelled.

Ron's eyes opened. Barely a second later a scream escaped his lips. When this happened Ginny lost it and fell to the floor laughing. Harry was at the end of the bed laughing as well. Little spiders were crawling all over Ron's blanket. He froze and could only stare at his laughing pranksters. "Harry, get them off," he said very slowly.

With a swish of his wand Harry removed the faux spiders. They were only a magical illusion. "You should've seen your face," Harry managed to say through laughs.

"Priceless!" Ginny added.

"Why did you do that!" Ron's face was flushed and he was now sitting up in his bed. His room, contrary to Ginny's was painted. It was blue. But his bed and sheets were orange. And his desk was green. The thin carpet that was nearly worn out of existence was brown. He didn't choose this color scheme himself. The bed was a hand me down as well as the rest of the furniture. The room itself was a hand me down, originally occupied by his brother Charlie.

"Mum told us to wake you up." Ginny stood up from the floor and fixed her pants which had bunched at the ankles.

"She also mentioned to use any means necessary," Harry pointed out. He was wearing the Christmas sweater Mrs. Weasely had made last year. It was maroon with specks of white and green in it. His pants were the usual gray and his shoes were the same ratty black ones he always wore.

"Well, fine. I have to dress so go," Ron said in a curt voice.

"Aww, is little Rony Wony upset?" Ginny asked in baby talk just to piss him off further. Ron pushed her and Harry out of the room.

The both of them looked at each other as the door slammed. Then they just laughed and continued down the stairs to the breakfast table that awaited them. Mr. Weasely was sitting at the table reading the Daily Prophet while Mrs. Weasely hustled around in the kitchen. Harry sat down next to Mr. Weasely and struck up a conversation about the eerie calmness in the Wizarding World as far as Attacks were concerned. Ginny continued on to the kitchen to help her mom out. From what she could tell her mother was cooking eggs, bacon, toast and something that had a suspicious smell. Fearing an upset look from her mother, Ginny let it go.

"Good Morning!" his father said heartily.

"Morning Ron!" his mother called out from the kitchen.

"Morning all," Ron responded. He had worn one of his old Christmas sweaters as well. His hair which he rarely spent any time on ever was neatly combed and parted down the middle of his head.

"Morning Ron," Harry said knowingly as he slanted his eyebrows.

From hearing this Ginny shot her head out of the kitchen, "Morning Rony Wony." She smiled as she ducked her head back.

Ron just shot dirty looks at Harry and another one where Ginny's head had been. "So, where's the rest of the family this year?" Ron had forgotten what his letter from his brothers had said even though it was sent only 2 weeks ago.

"The Ministry had important papers that needing filing. Candy business booms at the holidays, and as you know, the dangerous animals have been kept on a tight leash as of recent," Arthur answered smoothly.

"Oh."

Ginny and Mrs. Weasely brought the food out. Ginny carried 5 plates with forks and knives. She set the table handing out the miss-matched plates randomly. She got a green plate, Ron the blue one, her mother and father got the only cream colored ones, and Harry got a red plate. The food was passed around and most stayed away from the malodorous dish. However, Mrs. Weasely barely noticed this.

* * *

Mrs. Weasely had already gone to Gringotts to get out money for everyone. They all decided on a neutral meeting spot, the Burrow. With the craziness of holiday shopping it was just a safe bet that everyone would eventually end up back home. Of course Ron, Harry and Ginny went together and Mr. and Mrs. Weasely went shopping on their own. However, Ginny felt a little out of place but ignored the feeling trying to keep the promise she had made last night.

"So where first?" She asked after her parents had left via flue powder.

The group was standing in front of the fireplace contemplating on where to go first. "Well, he should go to Hogsmeade because then we split up without getting lost," Ron suggested.

Harry took a quick glance over at Ginny and then he looked down at his shoes. "I agree."

Ginny nodded in acceptance and walked over to the bag of flue powder. And one by one they flued over to Hogsmeade. Ginny was the first to go and when she arrived she noticed that she was in the same shop that Draco had snuck her into not so long ago (it certainly felt like it though). A warm smile appeared on her lips remembering the night. Not a second after did Harry appear. Mistaking her smile as directed at him, he smiled back.

"What?"

Ginny shook her head, "Nothing. Where's Ron?" Gin knew that Harry always went last when flueing was involved.

"He didn't arrive here?"

"Nope."

"Hmm…Oh well, it doesn't matter. We decided that at 6 we'd meet at Hogs Head," Harry said dismissively.

She hadn't noticed the first time she was here, but this was a knick knack shop. She looked around seeing lots of interesting things. One of the things that had caught her eye was a ring. Its gleam drew her closer to it and she approached the glass incased shelving. The silver ring had an ornate dragon on it with emerald chips for eyes which was the only source of color. The rest was just silver. From the way she was staring at it the shopkeeper thought she wanted to buy it, she shyly declined and walked away from the case.

"Anything you need to get here?" Ginny asked Harry who was standing in the middle of the store.

"No. I thought you did."

"I was just looking. I need to go to the cloth shop."

Harry nodded and they both left the shop. Going against her best judgment Ginny took one last glance at the store remembering the ring, and remembering Draco.

"Whoa!" Harry grabbed Ginny's arm and held her back as a carriage continued barreling past them with alarming speed. "You should be more careful," he warned.

Ginny grinned sheepishly. "Whoops."

* * *

"You bought him socks…again," Harry said unenthusiastically. "What color? White, blue?

"Black actually. I got you some too! Except yours are red." Ginny thanked the store keeper as she paid. She got the bag.

"Here, I'll hold it," Harry offered.

Ginny handed the bag to him, "Thanks."

"Why did you tell me what you got me? That ruined it."

She wasn't sure if he was really hurt or not. "I've told you every year. What difference does it make?"

"I kinda like the surprise," he added lowly.

"Sorry."

"I'm over it. Okay now I have to get stuff. Off to the bookstore!"

Harry bought Ron a Quidditch book that detailed the lives of the most famous players in its ancient history. He also got a gift for Mr. and Mrs. Weasely. It was a brand new tablecloth that they could put out for every day occasions. The one they had now had seen better days. Ginny thought it a fantastic gift idea. She was never really creative with this stuff. She always gave things that were useful but not necessarily the most meaningful.

"Alright, let's go meet Ron."

"Wait, I have something to get. I'll see you there." Ginny gave a reassuring smile and turned back the other direction.

He watched her go somewhat suspiciously. He chastised himself for doing so; he really wanted this fix between him and Gin to be permanent, so he turned around and headed for Hogs Head. He resolved that he wouldn't wonder where she was going all the time.

Ginny really didn't have anywhere to go. She just didn't want to go meet Ron right then. There was a book that she was considering buying as a gift to herself, so she wandered over there. The crowds were starting to thin out a little but not much. It seemed that the only people left now were all the obnoxious ones. They would bump into her without the slightest care or concern. One girl hit her in the shin with her heavy bag and didn't even apologize! She just looked back at Ginny as if it were her fault. Inconsiderate people angered her so.

She finally made it to the bookstore and tried to find the book. She wandered through selves and selves and then finally there it was. She picked it up and read the inside cover. Having her curiosity provoked enough she flipped to the first page. She lost herself in it and hardly noticed her surroundings.

"Honey, Mud and Maggots. Quite the interesting title," an eloquent voice noted.

Ginny lifted her eyes from the pages in response to the voice behind her. A small smirk appeared on her face. She felt the person put their arms around her waist. She closed her eyes. They brought their head over her shoulder. She turned her face to meet theirs. "Indeed."

He smiled and kissed her sweetly. They separated knowing that people around them would see. 'Public Displays of Affection weren't welcomed in respectable establishments such as book shops.' Bunch of bloody hypocrites, she thought. Everyone knows that people go to the Muggle Sciences section to make out.

"Two kisses in two days, oh Draco, you spoil me." Ginny turned around to face him, book in hand.

He just smirked back at her.

A/N: eww, this shortish but w/e. You guys got another chapter. That book, "Honey, Mud and Maggots," is an actual book. Its crazy interesting, (if your into medicine). Loads of crap has been happening on my end of the world so sorry for the late update. Please review! Thank you. Oh, and Happy Passover to any celebrating it!


	28. The Three Thoughts

A/N: I would just like you all to have a heads up on my updates as they will become more sparse. I have my SAT and AP exam in May only one night apart so it's really hellish right now. I am trying to get these chapters to you in a timely fashion but if I don't, now you know why. So thanks to Swimfan (sry it was short), Nickel (glad to keep you happy) and Helldarkangel1 (reviews like that keep me going). And thanks to all that read.

* * *

His hair was slightly damp due to the snowflakes that had fallen on it. His checks and face were pale but his lips were a deep red color. It was like she couldn't see anything else of him. His all black attire was classy but it wouldn't be like him to dress anything less than that. Noticing that she was just staring at him she decided to talk. "So, how are you?" Wow, what a smooth talker I am, she thought.

He smiled at her, "I am doing better having seen you."

Aww! "Me too," she confessed.

"Who's that for?"

Ginny realized that she was just staring at him…again. Waking up from her trance she looked down at the book dumbly. "Oh, no one. I was just curious."

"I wasn't aware you were into that sort of thing." Draco put his hand out and she handed the book to him so he could read the summary. With a nod he asked, "Are you getting it?"

"Probably not. I'll see if the library at school has a copy." She took the book back and placed it on the rack behind her. "What were you in here for?"

"I was just wanted to get out of the snow."

"Has it stopped since?"

"Wouldn't know. I was busy kissing you."

Ginny flushed. "Right. Well, let's go see how the weather is."

So they went to the door and saw that the snow had ceased. He suggested they take a walk and go somewhere quiet. He put his arm around her waist protectively. This time when walking, no one hit into Ginny. This fact made her very pleased but a little upset also. People must've thought she was no one by herself but if she had a boy then she must be worth some courtesy. Instead of getting upset at the mores of her society, she quit the thought of her mind.

They had walked to the very edge of the town and found a small, neglected bench to sit on. It was placed under a tree that protected the two from the snow, should it resume. They sat and neither talked. Draco still had his arm around her waist. It did feel nice to be held like that. She ruined the moment by talking. "How is your Christmas break so far?"

"It's boring." His break was terribly lonely, staying in his father's mansion all by himself without even a house elf to boss around. There certainly would be no way he was going to stay with his mother and that awful muggle of hers. "And how is yours?"

"It's going pretty good. I mean, considering I'm stuck with only Ron and Harry as company."

"What about your other brothers?"

"They're too busy to come home this year," she stated, sadness etched in her tone.

"So, has Potter thrown you over his shoulder yet?" He smiled.

She looked at him, "No. We're getting along well, actually."

"You are? Damn, you two have a dynamic relationship," he said with expertly controlled emotions.

"We agreed to get along in the true Christmas spirit."

"And the fact that you're stuck with him for a week has nothing to do with it?" He knew she was just being nice to Potter for her parent's sake. He wanted to believe that she still hated him, but maybe he was wrong. He refused to think that way, so he erased the thought from his memory.

"Okay, so that was considered too," she said with a laugh.

Silence befell them once more. Ginny was staring straight ahead, her eyes open but not noticing her surroundings. She had been zoning out often. Her body was perfectly still, only her hands moved inside her pockets in an effort to prevent frost bite. Draco was staring at her hair. He opened his hand and let his fingers travel through her silky strands. He then began playing with the ends of her gorgeous red locks. He was just enjoying her company; he didn't have anything to say and wanted nothing to be said. The moment was pleasant, why end it?

"Tell me a secret."

"What?" he asked in a half dazed voice.

"Tell me a secret," she repeated.

"Why?" He stopped playing with her hair and she turned to face him.

"Because I said so," knowing this wasn't enough she added, "AND I'll sit here and snog with you some more."

Hmm, being mysterious, getting snogged…what to choose…Of course Draco voted in favor of making out. "Fine." Okay, now he had to think of a secret. Remembering what they were talking about earlier a perfect one came to mind. "My mum is living with a muggle history teacher." Ginny raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "No, it's true."

"I guess I'll have to trust you on that."

"Guess you will. What was your side of the bargain again?" He put a finger to his chin and tapped lightly.

Ginny laughed at him. She, unlike him, was slow with her kisses. Ever so slowly she leaned in to him, letting her hands rest on the tops of his thighs. She controlled her breath so it would come in and out evenly. Most importantly she didn't loose eye contact. Her hazel eyes never left his silver ones. When she was close she let her nose brush against his, he chuckled. She smiled. When she was mere millimeters from his face she stopped, eyes still locked. "Hi," she said in sexy tone.

Draco just wanted to grab her and kiss her but the deal was her to snog him. And he was happy to let her do it. She finally locked lips with his, but only lightly. Then she moved her hands gradually up his chest. He brought his hands around her back and pulled her in closer. Thusly the kiss intensified. In the middle of her second kiss she stopped. "Draco?"

"Yes," he answered in a breath.

"Let me lead," she said simply.

Draco knew what she meant. He usually had to be the dominant one; it was a non negotiable issue when it came to him. But she was doing such a good job; he decided to relinquish it to her. She continued taking his silence as a yes…

In the post snog fest Ginny was leaning on Draco's shoulder completely spent. They hadn't gone past kissing but to have enough control to go slow with a guy as handsome as him was damn near impossible. He had his arm around her waist, rubbing her side. His eyes were closed, and he was probably asleep. She would've had half a mind to do that as well if she didn't know better. First off it was cold so sleeping wasn't a good idea, and secondly she still had to meet Ron and Harry. When she remembered this she jolted as if the thought had physically struck her.

"What?" Draco asked roused from his pseudo sleep.

"I have to go," she answered looking up at him almost sadly. "My brother and Harry are expecting me at Hogs Head."

"Oh." He removed his arm and stood up, offering his hand. "I'll walk you then."

"It's okay; I know you probably have things to do."

She was right. He did have some letters from his father to interpret so he could be up to speed when school resumed. (Snape had ordered him to take a Break and refused to hear anything on the subject of his father until classes started again.) "No, I'll walk you," he insisted. His time with her was limited as it was. Why would he restrict it further?

* * *

She looked around for Harry who stood up and waved at her to get attention. "Gin! Over here!"

"Coming!" She crossed the restaurant/bar. Harry was sitting by himself at the table. Ron was late, though that wasn't a surprise.

"I ordered you some pumpkin juice. I know you hate Butter Beer," he half shouted due to loudness of the people around them.

"Thanks." That was considerate of him. She recalled the last time she had Butter Beer. She threw up, long story short, it was a very unsavory memory. "Ron's late."

"I know. Where did you go?"

"I was looking for something," she lied. It was so much easier to keep Harry in the dark about her rendezvous with Draco. 'Besides, it wasn't his business anyway,' she thought.

"Oh, did you find it?"

"Uh, no." Just as she answered Ron entered. Someone was with him. As they came closer to the table Ginny recognized who it was.

"Mary! How are you?" Ginny rose and gave her friend a hug. "Here, sit."

"Hello?" Ron asked as Mary took her seat.

"I saw you too Ron. You can sit by Harry. Where were you two?" Ginny asked with her eye brow raised.

Mary blushed and lowered her head before anyone could notice. Ron coughed and then answered. "I was, um, at the book shop looking to get a book for Dad in the Muggle Science section when Mary found me. We kinda got caught up in, uh, conversation."

Harry and Ginny tried to suppress a laugh knowing full well of what those two were really doing. "I bet that was interesting," Harry commented.

Mary blushed even more and Ron unconsciously said, "It was."

Ginny laughed out right as did Harry. Ron, realizing what he said, turned 10 shades of red and quickly changed the subject. Unfortunately for him Harry and Ginny were still laughing. So much so that Ron and Mary excused themselves from the table.

"Get some!" Ginny screamed out to Mary's retreating figure. Harry spit out the Butterbeer he was drinking, and it sprayed all over the table. He immediately grabbed for a napkin and vainly tried to clean his mouth but he was giggling too much for it to have any affect on his appearance.

"Good one," he managed to say.

Finally Ginny's drink came and she was grateful for it. Due to the five different fireplaces inside the Hogshead the air was very dry. The waiter set it down on the table and Ginny grabbed at it and chugged it down. "Thanks."

"Uh, sure," the man said slowly and walked away.

"How lady like," Harry commented.

"I try."

After a few minutes of common conversation Ginny asked Harry about his adventures. On the outside she tried to look apathetic but really, deep down, the subject fascinated her. Her life (previously and excluding first year) had been so dull! On top of which Harry told his stories well, he paused for suspense and added comical taglines. But most importantly he made sure that the attention was kept where any listener would want it…on them! His eyes were fixated on her face and only glanced otherwise if he was acting something out facially. A silence fell and he let out a sigh. "And now you're all caught up."

"I don't think so," she looked down at her empty goblet.

"What do you mean?" He leaned forward in his chair. His face seemed bright but that could've been due to the tricks candle light can play.

"Well, what about this year. None of those stories involved this year."

He huffed out air, "That's because nothing has happened yet."

Ginny felt it was best to let it go, the last time she brought up the subject Harry got made at her, and this was going to be good break (she would MAKE it so). "Good point."

"Whoa," Harry's eyes were on his watch. "It's late. We should go." Harry got up from his seat and stretched.

"Okay, but where's Ron?" Ginny began to get up.

"Oh!" Harry said and went to her side and pulled her chair out for her.

"Well, aren't you just the gentlemen."

"Stop you'll make me blush," he joked. She laughed at him.

"Ron knows where we'll be." When she was fully erect, she opened her purse to put down the money for the drinks.

"No, that's unnecessary. I got it." Harry tried to block her.

"I'm paying Harry. You can't stop me." She flung her arm out at the approaching waiter.

"I can and I will. Sir do not let her pay." Harry held Ginny's arms down with his one, while his other was holding the money. The waiter was a man and knew how these situations could be. So, taking the guys side, he took Harry's money. "Ha!"

Ginny crossed her arms and pouted. "You cheated."

"I can't help that I'm stronger than you," he commented innocently.

* * *

"Hello! Whose home?" Ginny shouted when she arrived.

"Me!" A group shouted at once.

Ginny shook her head and hung up her coat. As she entered the kitchen she saw her parents, Ron and Mary. "Mary? What are you doing here?"

"I've been invited to stay!" she said excitedly and stood up.

Ginny ran over and gave her a bear hug. "Really! Oh, this is great! Thanks mum, dad."

"Sure honey," Mrs. Weasely responded in a warm voice. "Well, there's Harry!"

Ginny turned around and in he strolled with the same surprised look Ginny had. She told him that Mary is staying; he gave a knowing look to Ron and then sat down.

"Now that you are all home, me and your mother are going to bed." Mr. and Mrs. Weasely rose from the table and slowly made their way upstairs, their feet obviously sore and worn out.

Mary was opposite Ron and Ginny was opposite Harry. "I believe you promised to teach me the ancient muggle art of gift wrapping," Ginny noted raising her eyebrow.

"I did."

"While you two do that me and Mary are going to sit near the fire. It's fearfully cold in here."

Harry and Ginny contained their giggles until the lovers had left the room, or they tried to. Ginny got her gifts and Harry his. After a couple minutes of searching Ginny had found the festive wrap, or what was left of it. Harry went through the process slowly and had Ginny copy his every move. Of course his present had come out looking much more aesthetically pleasing than Ginny's.

"It's ugly," she said plainly.

"No, I think that bulge adds some character." Harry turned the box around, examining it.

"That's another way of saying its ugly." She laughed at her not so symmetrical box.

"Well, you know what they say, Practice makes perfect." Harry rolled out some paper to do another present. She sighed and decided to give it another try. About 5 tries later she figured out how to NOT create that bulge and her last present was wrapped perfectly.

"Look at that!" she stated proudly with curled up lips.

"Told you, you'd get it," Harry said confidently. He took in a big breath and let it out slowly as Ginny yawned. "'Suppose it's late."

"Probably," Ginny mumbled. She was holding her very tired head up with her hand. "I think Imma go to sleep."

"Mmm….sleeeeeeeep," Harry drooled. He was very much tired seeing as how he barely got any sleep the previous night on top of all the activities he did today.

Harry followed Ginny to up the stairs. (The room he was staying in was past hers). When she was at her door, she stopped. "I had fun today, Thanks."

"Don't. I should've always treated you this way." His voice sounded shameful and his eyes were kept on the floor.

"Hey," she said to get his attention. He looked up and eventually looked her straight in the eyes. "It's ancient history." Ginny smiled. "'night Harry." She opened the door and walked in. Meanwhile Harry wished her a good night and continued down to his room.

Ginny let out a sigh and she felt like a load had been lifted from her chest. It was good to forgive people, she concluded. Ginny threw off her shoes and climbed into bed, "Shove over Mary."

* * *

"Wake up, Harry!" Heavy fist pelted the door outside. "It's Christmas!" Harry lifted his head up from the pillow very slowly. "Alright, Ron!" He let out a heavy breath and pulled himself out of the now fully warm, totally comfortable bed. Ever so slowly he put on a shirt and dragged his feet to the door.

Upon arriving downstairs Harry realized he was last to wake up. "I'm sorry," he began but Ron and the rest told him to forget it. Besides they hadn't been waiting long anyway. Each person's gifts were stacked neatly next to a certain spot in the living room. Harry's were on the left side of the red couch, to his right was Ron. Ginny was sitting with Mary on the green one. Molly and Arthur were on the white couch. When Harry sat down everyone began their opening frenzy. Solitary scraps of gift wrap floated around the room. Once festive wraps were now reduced to confetti. For wizards it was marvelously easy to clean up this kind of mess, so none in the room cared about the rubbish.

The unwrapping ceremony ended unceremoniously (as was custom) and then one by one each person left the room to the kitchen. Being the parents Molly and Arthur finished first and had time to cook up the breakfast while the kids finished with their Christmas. The only thing that surpassed the Christmas breakfast was the Christmas dinner. And the third best thing of all was Christmas lunch. At breakfast the food would be in fun shapes and silly objects. The lunch was when everyone found out what everyone else got. Christmas dinner had amazing food with great presentation and such delictablea dessert.

Of course the day after Christmas was, 'Oh Merlin how could I have eaten that much, I'll never eat again,' day. However, after several hours of keeping totally still (to let the food properly digest), it gives way to 'crap, Break ends in 3 days,' mentality. And soon after that thought occurs one thinks the following: 'I haven't done any homework yet!' Then starts the mad dash to get it all done because teachers leave you with a week's worth of work to do and now you must complete it in 3 days...


	29. Back to School

A/N: Hola all! Thanks for reading as usual. Thank you Swimfan, and iLuvHawkeye.

His tired eyes slowly opened and his stream of consciousness resumed again. His room was kept dark, no natural light was allowed in. He had black velvet curtains and midnight blue walls. His carpet was black fur. He had a luxurious bed made out of the finest mahogany wood available. Of course snakes were engraved into the bed posts. He lifted his goose feather blanket off to the floor. He practically slid out of the black satin sheets. He was mumbling something about how bloody early it was. Then he realized that the way he sleeps it wouldn't have matter how early or late it was. From there he mumbled about how he hated correcting himself. "It's all father's fault."

Ever since a little child Draco had been groomed to be perfect, and of course he was, in his eyes anyway. But it took some serious mental scarring to get there. As a little kid he never could say, 'ain't' or 'havta' or that sort of thing. It was always proper grammar, proper vocabulary, proper this, that and the other thing. Now, as a young adult, he hated proper. He still acted proper because Merlin forbid someone should find him out. Perhaps that is why he liked the littlest Weasely so much. She wasn't proper at all. She could speak correctly but she didn't own proper clothing, she didn't eat proper food, nor did she come from a proper family.

He liked to think that he wasn't that shallow, to just like someone for being anti-proper. But he liked her for other reasons as well. There was nothing to complain about when it came to her physique, it was almost as perfect as his, almost. Her hair, as had been admiring the day before, was of outstanding quality. It was smooth and silky but not thin, and the color was just like fire. Then her eyes, he originally assumed them to be brown like her brothers, but no. They were hazel and had green specks dotting around the pupil. And then he thought of her lovely skin, sure it was freckled but in a sexy sort of way.

Realizing how much time he had just spent thinking about her surprised him. He didn't think of anything or anyone for any lengthy period. Indeed the thought surprised but it didn't scare him. He would only be scared if he loved her, which he didn't. Not to say that she wasn't worthy of love and more importantly of his love. Draco was guarded and at this point hollow and devoid of almost all feelings.

There was one feeling that he knew very well. One that he could never outrun or outdo. It haunted his thoughts, his words, and his sleep. To say that emotion was hate would be incorrect. Because, though he didn't know it or didn't want to admit it, it was a hate that was etched with fear. He hated his father but he feared him as well. His father was a representation of what Draco could become. He was frightful of that fact. Nothing else of his father scared him. Or at least at this time nothing else did.

Having showered and completing his other mandatory bathroom tasks, Draco went to celebrate Christmas. And by that he meant he was going to read the letter he mother may have sent and eat his breakfast. Because his father had sent away the house elves anytime that Draco was present, he had to make his own breakfast. It was small, plain eggs and a glass of water. He looked around the room to see if his mother did send him a note. "Skunked again," he stated sitting back down on the hard wood chair. This was the third year in a row that his mother had forgotten to acknowledge that Draco existed at all. (She had left the house 5 years ago.) It was probably better that she forgot him; he didn't want to be remembered anyway. Just as that depressing thought struck him a letter came fluttering down to the table. Draco snapped his head up to look out the window opposite him and there he saw an owl flying off in the distance. (He suspecting it was either stupid or drunk by its flying pattern).

His name was written neatly on the front in a handwriting he didn't recognize. Curiosity got the best of him as he leaned over the table for the letter. He opened it carefully.

_Draco,_

_I never did get around to sincerely wishing you a Happy Christmas. I hope that Break has gotten a little less boring for you. If it makes you feel any better mine isn't all that exciting either. (Except for my encounter with you, wink) Anyway, I just thought you'd liked to be remembered. See you soon!_

_Ginerva_

Draco decided it was nice to be remembered.

* * *

"Ginny!" Ron shouted up to his sister.

She was in her room, music blasting, trying to complete her homework. "Yeah!"

"Where's my owl!"

"I sent a letter to Tara!" she shouted back to her brother as a smile appeared on her face.

"Okay!" Knowing that Tara lived far away, Ron understood why he hadn't seen the little guy since Christmas. That and he knew that he probably got lost and then had to figure out where he was.

Ginny had gotten an owl of her own but it met with an unfortunate end thanks for Fred and George. Looking back, it was actually pretty funny. Ginny used her innate skill for bullshitting to complete her homework. She was done within 3 hours. When finished she realized that she had the whole rest of the day to herself. She couldn't find anything better to do than to pack up her clothes and books and such. She was going back to school tomorrow. Luckily, her parents bought her a new (new as in used) trunk. It locked and everything, Ginny was very excited. Ron got her nice hairclips. And Harry got her a red and gold tie for school. She laughed realizing that he was mocking the practicality of socks she bought him.

When she was done with the trunk she heard something pecking at the window. She turned expecting to see Ron's genius of an owl but saw quite a different one. It proved to be a complete contrast to Ron's actually. She opened the window and the owl dropped the letter into her hand and flew off. The envelope was green, "Oh, I wonder," she said sarcastically. She opened it and read the letter (which was written in perfect handwriting it seemed.)

_I was surprised by your letter but it was appreciated. Indeed, things are still boring here but I shall see you on train. Perhaps we will have another encounter (wink). Before we can enjoy ourselves I need to talk to you. I shall elaborate further when I see you which, by the time this reaches you, will be tomorrow. See you shortly…_

_Draco_

Short and intriguing! "What does he need to talk about," she wondered aloud. Just as the words left her mouth someone knocked on her door. She threw the letter somewhere behind her and hurriedly said, "Come in."

The door slowly opened and then, once it had reached at certain point, it flung open. Harry stood there wearing a shirt that was faded orange, jeans, and the ratty black shoes. Due to the weather his hair was particularly wild today and his face was red. "Good, I didn't want to disturb you if you were studying or something." He walked further into the room.

Ginny gave him a quizzical look, "You were worried about _me_ studying?" She put her arms across her chest and shifted her weight to one leg.

"Stranger things have happened," he stated shrugging his shoulders.

She just shook her head. "Were you outside?"

"Yeah, me and Ron were practicing." He fell down onto her bed feigning exhaustion.

"In this weather?" Harry nodded. "Boys are silly."

"This room is really cool. How did you make the walls change color?"

"Percy did it. It changes according to my mood," Ginny said proudly.

"Brilliant." Harry leaned over, half his body off the bed digging through a pile of stuff that he must've found interesting for one reason or another. He was acting like her brothers, it was odd but it was easier. Ginny plopped down at the other end of her bed, where Mary had slept a couple of nights ago. Mary was supposed to stay until the end of Break but something had come up at her house and she left the day after she had arrived. It sucked, Ginny dealt with it.

"What are you doing?" Ginny lied down and stared up at the ceiling which was acting funny again.

"I dunno." Harry kept digging.

"If tell you to stop, will you?" She turned her head towards him.

He looked up from his work and then shook his head, "no," and continued.

She sighed. Boys are stupid, she thought. Her thoughts were interrupted.

"Oh! Well looky here!" Harry jolted up from the bed with a piece of parchment in his hand. Ginny's eyes bugged out of her head when she realized what he had. She, too, rose from the bed and tried to grab it from his grip.

"Give that back Harry!"

"Aw, you're adorable when you're angry," he said in a high pitch voice mocking her.

"That's what they all say, until I should inflict pain upon them." Andthen she dove at him.

Harry was taken aback and nearly fell on his ass by Ginny's intense tackle. "Calm down! It's just a bloody letter! Ow!" She had scratched him! Who scratches people these days? Really? Ginny took back the letter while Harry lamented over his slightly bleeding wrist.

"I barely touched you," she replied and walked over to her desk to put the letter away. "Besides it was _my_ letter."

"But you scratched me!"

"Get over it, you baby."

* * *

Tomorrow would be long day. He could feel it. He rolled over to his right side and faced the wall. The wall annoyed him somehow so he turned to his left which faced the door. The light in the hallway was on so it gleamed through the frame of the doorframe. It looked like some freaky portal and for some reason he couldn't look away from it. While looking at it he remembered what was behind that door. It was something that had been happily haunting his thoughts and dreams. He took some sort of sick solace in the facts of the situation. It was something to distract him from the depressing thoughts of normality.

He couldn't figure himself out. Everything was different and he couldn't place how or why it was. He could barely tie his shoes without hesitating to remember which string to loop first. Something was not right in his mind; he felt that maybe someone had slipped him something. He also felt he was getting more paranoid by the day. He probably was. Concluding his thoughts on that note his eyes slowly closed but the image of the door was burned into his mind. He couldn't escape the confusion even in his sleep! It would be a long day…

* * *

"GET UP BUTT FACE!"

Ron jolted up at the insult knowing immediately who screamed it out. He grabbed pants, shirt, and shoes but forgot socks. Due to his lateness he decided to grab some out his trunk while on the train. "I'M COMING!"

He scrambled down the stairs with his suit case levitating close behind. His mom and dad, Ginny and Harry were waiting at the car all with the same look: it was something like agitation mixed with exhaustion. "Well, what are you all waiting for?"

"Arg," Ginny groaned moodily and got into the car. Harry went in after her.

"What? What did I do?" Ron asked Harry.

"Let it go, mate."

So they drove to platform 9 ¾ in silence. It was a slushy, all around yucky day. Ginny didn't care though; she was going to find out what Draco had to talk about. Yay! When they finally arrived at the station Molly and Arthur said goodbye to all them (they figured they'd let them run to get their train by themselves). Ginny grabbed a cart and threw her trunk in. Harry and Ron both followed after her. They had a weird look in their eyes. For a minute Harry was walking faster than Ron so he sped up, then Ron was faster than Ginny so she sped up. This went out for a couple of minutes until an all out race broke out in the middle of the crowded train station. The three of them were whizzing past all kinds of people, adults, kids and the like. After a while the station cops were shouting at them to slow down, and then they called for them to stop completely. Soon after the cops were chasing after Ron, Harry and Ginny. Normally people would stop but not these three daredevils. Ron pushed the limit by taunting them.

"Had too many doughnuts today, eh?" he shouted back at them.

"You best be stopping boy!" the portly man called out, his face red, his voice enraged.

"Fat chance!"

They all dove at the column and came through to the other side leaving behind very confused, disappointed cops. They all walked serenely as if nothing had happened. Ron, Harry and Ginny fell in step with each other and they exchanged looks of a faux pompous nature, then they broke out in laughter. They weren't that late and so they found a compartment for themselves. Though, Ginny wasn't planning on staying long. Ron made up some malarkey excuse and left. He was really going to make out with Mary. Why didn't he realize that everyone knew they weren't an innocent couple?

"I wonder if Tara ever got my letter." Ginny questioned aloud.

Harry looked over at her, "I didn't know you sent her one."

"I'm going to find her." Ginny got up but Harry grabbed her arm.

"You're really going to leave me to my own devices?"

"Yes."

Realizing he wouldn't win that way he put on a cute puppy dog look. And damn him because he could pull it off really well. "Please."

Internally Ginny was thinking, "aww!" but on the outside she rolled her eyes and sat down. "Fine. So what now?"

"What?"

"I'm bored."

"It hasn't even been 2 minutes!"

"Short attention span." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Clearly."

Ginny responded by smacking his shoulder. She sat in silence, staring out the window. She watched as objects that were out of focus enter and leave her sight. The snowy slush that was falling looked like raindrops on the window. She became bored with the window and looked at the door. It was then that she noticed a person walk past her compartment. A couple of minutes later the same person walked past again. She knew who it was.

"Look Harry I really need to talk to her." Ginny got up and before he could protest she was out the door. He may have a cute puppy look but she was fast. Outside the door was Draco who was silently waiting down the hall. She smiled at him and for some reason a feeling overwhelmed her. She was a sort of happy but the happiness was marred by fear. Why was scared? He was gracefully approaching her and she was mimicking him. They met and softly kissed. Ginny broke it off far too early but she remembered that they were in the open. He understood, took her hand, and led her down the corridor to his compartment. As soon as the door had softly clicked closed he grabbed her and kissed her passionately. Upon her release she commented, "To think it hasn't even been a week!" He laughed.

"Hello," he said smoothly.

"Hi." She sat down across from him in almost a business sort of way. "So what was it you needed to speak with me about?"

Draco situated himself on the cushion of the compartment and looked straight into her eyes. "I need to ask you something."

"Go ahead," she replied excitedly.

"I need to ask you to keep our 'encounters,' as you like to call it, secret. In public, as in school, you must act as you usually would." His voice seemed somewhat detached, as if he was merely reading a script.

"Not that I had any drive to put our relationship on a billboard, but why?" Her brown eyes were curious and a little saddened. She knew she had to keep everything secret, but it hurt to hear it said aloud.

He took in a breath. "I am working for the Ministry on a temporary basis. I am helping to track my father and his Death Eater idiots. If anyone tipped him off about us then he would know that something was not right. We'd loose everything," he said in a hushed, heated voice.

"How?" She asked in a whisper as the gravity of the information sunk in. To tell the truth she was a little surprised the _he_ was working for the ministry but she felt it better to not say so aloud.

"He would find out. About this, about us, about everything. Father always had a way of finding out," he added darkly.

Ginny was nervous that this would turn into another Tom Riddle fiasco. This sort of seriousness was like listening to nails on a chalkboard. Some part of her wanted her to break it off with Draco and run away from that cabin to never deal with him again. She didn't want any lime light, she didn't want adventure and she most certainly didn't want to be muddling in anything dangerous. However, she had learned from the best how to hide emotions.

Her quietness gave her away. "Are you alright?" He knew her answer already.

"Fine." She straightened her self and gave him a reassuring smile. Just as the words left her lips the train came to an extremely hard stop. She was thrown forward and her skull made severe contact with the blunt front of the cushion opposite her.

Draco's first thought: shit! The second: double shit! The third through fiftieth resembled these two as well. It took him a considerable amount of time to control his emotions and once that was achieved he could finally think clearly enough to come up with coherent thoughts that didn't involve (too much) cursing. He had knelt down next to Ginny to find her unconscious.

The stop threw him as well but he caught himself by grabbing on to the bars that kept the luggage from falling out of the overhead cubby. She was lying face down and looking at her was difficult. She seemed such a pitiful sight like this. Again, he was loosing control of himself. He pushed down his panic and inspected her. She was fortunate that nothing had broken. However, a large bruise marred her face. He sat back a minute wondering what to do. He didn't carry smelling salts with him on a usual basis and he really didn't think throwing water on her would help any. He figured all he could do was wait. But waiting posed a serious threat. What if she was still unconscious when the train arrives at school? How would he carry her out without anyone noticing? He wasn't about to leave her there either.

"Damn it." He picked her up and left the compartment.

* * *

Harry had been asleep. He was lying on the left cushion until the train stopped and he was thrown to the right one. He was very lucky because hitting thecushions wasn't terriblybad.But he was mostly annoyed because he had been sleeping well. Another annoyance followed when he heard a brusque knock on the door. He thought it was Ron. Shaking his head he opened the door, "Ron I kno-," and then he stopped. He wasn't talking to Ron. "What are you doing here?" Then he noticed what he was holding, "What happened!"

Draco walked into the compartment and explainedthe situationto Harry in a hurried manner. Harry couldn't help but have his doubts about the story. They both put Ginny down on a cushion. "Oy! That is a big bloody bruise."

"I know," Draco said almost defensively. "She'll probably be out for a while. That is why I brought her here."

"What was she doing with you anyway?" Harry kept his eyes of Ginny face. He could feel the look that Draco was giving him now. "Never mind." There was a silence and then Harry finally put two and two together (naps made him sluggish). "Did you tell her?"

"Yes."

"Everything?"

"No."

"When will you do that?" Harry asked in alightly complaining tone.

"The parts I didn't disclose aren't my responsibility to tell. She will be told soon, though." Draco had to get back before people started to move about. "You can handle this, right?" He asked on his way out.

"Yeah," Harry said in a low voice staring down at her, still amazed by Ginny's bruise.

* * *

Harry was glad Ron wasn't here to see his sister. He would kill someone. Harry didn't know any healing charms that could apply to the current situation. So, he sat on the opposite cushion and looked dumbly out the window. The train was still stopped. Many students were out of the compartments now, asking everyone what was going on. No one knew. Harry didn't care to know. What difference would it make for him to know _why_ they were stopped? He noticed that as the years went by, the less curiosity he had. He was ripped from his thoughts when he heard a groan. Ginny had come to.

"Oh dear Merlin! What in the hell happened? My head is pounding!" She grabbed her head and felt the lump.

"You hit yourself pretty hard."

That wasn't Draco. "Harry?" See leaned up and opened her eyes. "Why, err, how did I get here?" She said in a breathy voice.

"Malfoy didn't know how long you were going to be out, he said something about how it would be better for you if you woke up here in case you were still unconscious when we arrived," he lied but only partly. The basic idea was true. "Due to your bruise I'll save the question of why you were with Malfoy for a different time." Again, a lie.

She tried to sit up but got dizzy and fell back. "Whoa."

Harry got up immediately and propped her up with a pillow. "You should stay lying down. Judging by that beauty, I'd say you have a concussion. Trust me, movement makes it worse."

"Damn. Isn't a concussion when you have to stay awake and all that?"

"Yeah," he answered knowing how crappy she was feeling now.

"Brilliant." She sat back down with a pout. Harry told her that they were still stopped and that he didn't know what was going on. In efforts to keep her awake they started talking. It was a boring conversation. Not at all like the one she had before. She wished she could've said goodbye to Draco in a proper way. School was going to suck, she would have to deal with it.

* * *

"You're fine dear," Madame Pomfrey said warmly. "You can go back to your room."

"Thanks, Good night!" Ginny left the infirmary. As soon as she arrived she went to the infirmary to make sure she didn't have a concussion or anything. Pomfrey got the swelling down but her upper forehead was still discolored.

It turns out that the train came to a crashing halt because the conductor had slipped on water (some suspect less innocent drinks were involved) and on his way down he grabbed hold of a level so he wouldn't break his ass. He didn't but the lever he pulled was the emergency break. It would have been a more comical story had she not been hurt and others like her.

They train arrived2 hours late but Ginny didn't care. School was never something she was rushing back to. It was pretty late but no teachers were out patrolling, or so she saw. Good, because if she had another detention with Snape she just might knock _herself_ out. She was walking in a lazy pattern until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Miss Weasely. I'm sorry about your fall."

She turned to see Professor Dumbledore standing behind her. This was strange. "Good evening Professor."

"I understand it's a little late but would you please come with me?" He didn't wait for her answer and began to walk down the opposite end of the corridor.

He led her to his office where he whispered a pass code and the stairs were revealed. It was a pretty awesome sight. They walked up and entered. It was a magnificent room with tons of do dads and gadgets assorted about his desk and mantle. She also saw all the old Headmasters, they were asleep (some were very loud about it too). But no sight was as unexpected as that of Draco's. He was sitting in one of the three brown leather chairs located on the opposite side of Dumbledore's desk. She looked down at him in wonder. "What's this all about Professor?"

"You should sit," Draco stated.

A/N: Sorry for the lateness but I warned. My internet was broken for a week after my tests and then I got all caught up in school (I know: excuses!) Anyway, who say Star Wars Episode 3! I did! IT ROCKED. You must see it. Review please.


	30. Emotional Retardation

A/N: I was so pleased to see that you guys reviewed the last chapter so quickly! Thank you: Karms (the Draco Harry thing is intentional and will be explained this chapter!),Helldarkangel1, and Swimfan (was it long enough?) And Nickel, of course! Here we go!

Disclaimer: I disclaim.

* * *

"You should sit."

Ginny looked to Dumbledore who nodded in agreement. She slowly took a seat. For some reason she was nervous. Thinking that maybe she could get some sort of clue her eyes darted over to Draco but he was looking at Dumbledore. "What's this all about?" Apparently he knew as much as she did.

Dumbledore took a long, uneasy breath. "Under any sort of normal circumstances I would not be meddling in my pupil's private lives." Ginny's finger nails dug into the brown leather chair. "However, as you both know normal isn't a word often used here and unfortunately we are under quite dangerous conditions." He stopped a moment as if it pained him to continue. "Mr. Malfoy, I have a letter for you." Then a water spotted envelope manifested itself onto Dumbledore's desk.

Eyeing the parchment suspiciously Draco asked, "Why such a ceremony?" The curiosity was killing him but he made all the look of ease and indifference as he could. The school often read through his letters, even before he knew that they had reason too. Now that he was on their side more or less they checked for anything dangerous or important.

"You'll see." The old man's eyes peered out, over his half moon spectacles and stared at Draco with complete, unwanted knowledge.

Ginny felt very much out of place and wondered why she was there at all. She figured to wait it out, and see what happened. The letter was still sitting there on the crowded desk, among different knick knacks and various curios. It lied there; Draco made no movement for it. After a long, silent pause his arm gracefully extended. He closed his fingers around the gritty paper and he held it for a moment. He never removed his eyes from Dumbledore's face, as if he was trying to get some indication or warning.

Disappointed, Draco lowered his eyes to the letter. To the observers he looked totally unfazed but inside he was screaming. He could feel the butterflies in his stomach become so intense he was sure that Ginny and Dumbledore could see his shirt vibrate. He took one last breath; he savored his last moment of ignorance. He slid his finger underneath and ripped the paper. The sound amplified in his ears. He noticed that the noise caused Ginny to jump. He looked over at her and gave her faux reassuring smile. Then he went back to the letter. He was ecstatic to see that the parchment was plain white. That meant it wasn't from his father. He took the letter out and slowly opened the perfectly creased paper.

_Young Malfoy,_

_I know what you are doing. Contrary to what some would think, I am pleased. Your skill has not been overlooked. I have tracked you and was pleasantly surprised at your abilities. I wasn't sure how you would handle my muggle gang. You performed wonderfully. I also know what you have. More correctly, I know who you have. Smart move. She will prove very useful. The other confidant of yours needs to be kept close, he is tricky. I may write you again. Until then, good job._

It wasn't signed. Draco looked first at Ginny. He hid his confusion, but unbeknownst to him she could read his eyes. He then looked Dumbledore, who looked so old in the flickering candlelight. "Have you read this?"

Dumbledore lowered his head. "You know I have," he responded sadly. He was mostly upset that the problems of the old have now become those of the young. It was dreadfully unfair, but those were the times. No one could change that.

"Who wrote it?" Draco hoped he didn't know, but there was a voice in the back of his head telling him the name.

Dumbledore turned his eyes to Ginny. "Ms. Weasely, have you ever heard of a man named Lou Zakley?"

Zakley? She heard that name before. But where? Damn it, where did she hear that name before? "I know I've heard that name before."

"Well, in the muggle world he is a mercenary. He works various odd jobs, in various countries. He has no allegiance to anyone but himself. He is a major threat to un-magical folk." Dumbledore crossed his arms and his flowing sleeves lifted a few feet from the ground.

HARRY! That was it! Harry had told her about this Zakley guy. But what the hell did that mean to her? Why should she give a damn about this Zakley idiot? "Oh," she said dumbly. "What does he have to do with anything?"

"He wrote the letter," Draco answered her simply.

"Mr. Malfoy, let Ms. Weasely read the letter," Dumbledore ordered.

Draco handed it over to Ginny very reluctantly. She looked at Dumbledore before reaching for it. He nodded her on. She read it, and read it and read it. She read it over seven times! Why was she so confused? How did Draco and Dumbledore know so much more than she did! "I…I don't understand," her little voice said. She looked at Draco, "What does this mean?"

Merlin, did she look young in the flickering flames. Candlelight did strange things…He was about to tell her but stopped himself realizing that Dumbledore was also in the room. So he just sat back and looked at Dumbledore.

"I would think you two are tired. You are excused. If anyone stops you just," Dumbledore began to say when Draco interrupted.

"Tell them to stuff it?" He smirked.

"Well, no but you can show them that. It will have the same effect." Dumbledore smiled and pointed to the letter still in Ginny's hand.

They were outside in the hallway. Ginny was dead tired but she didn't care about that now. She cared about that letter. She couldn't think about anything else. Granted it had been about 5 minutes since she read the letter but in her usual mental state she could've thought of 5 million different things in that time frame. "Draco, what is going on?" she demanded. She was tired, she was hungry. No one was going to screw around with her.

He let out a sigh of frustration and ran his fingers through his hair almost violently. "I don't know."

"Yes you do!" She yelled at him. He turned away from her. "Don't shut me out! Draco," She put her hand on his shoulder. Softly she continued, "Tell me what is going on."

"Everything that I shouldn't have." He turned away from her touch.

"What do you mean?" Seeing that she couldn't win this one by using her girlish charm she backed up a meter or two.

"This was just supposed to be an in and out job. I wasn't supposed to end up on your side, I wasn't supposed to trust the enemy, I wasn't supposed to," but he stopped.

Ginny's eyes narrowed, "Supposed to what?"

"I wasn't supposed to get attached. Damn it! And now he knows!" Draco turned towards her and leaned up on the wall.

"What does that Zakley guy have to do with this?" She didn't move.

"He's a 'friend' of the family," he said maliciously. "He knows about us. He could tell my father. But he hasn't. I don't know why and I can't stand it." Draco grabbed his head totally frustrated. Ginny approached him. She smiled at him, trying to console him. He stared at her, his face dropped as a realization came upon him. "He will use you against me though. Sooner or later." Draco let himself slide down the cold stone wall to the unforgiving floor.

"He won't." She knelt down in front of him and pushed some stray hair out of his eyes.

He grabbed her wrist gently and brought her hand to his lips. He kissed the palm of her hand. "Even you know that is a lie," he whispered.

"Well, just let them. Draco," she forced his face to make eye contact with her. "I will not be a reason to why this task fails. If they take me, which they won't… just let them," the last bit she struggled to get out.

He stared at her in disbelief. She was so resolved about the matter, so calm. It was enough to make him scream out at her. He pulled her into himself, and hugged her tightly. He wanted to tell her that he couldn't do that, that they would never get her. He wanted to make her feel secure. He wanted to tell her, but he couldn't. A lump formed in his throat. He silently cursed himself for being emotionally retarded. His hands began to play idly with her gorgeous hair, it took his mind off the matter at hand.

Ginny was pretty sure that Draco had fallen asleep. It had been quite some time but she couldn't bring herself to wake him and pry herself away. She didn't want to leave him either. All this news was coming in like a tidal wave but she couldn't be weak. She had learnt that the hard way. She decided to be useful by being calm. It did scare her that Draco was so worried. He isn't easily concerned so when something bothers him, you can beat your ass its worth listening to. Would they really take her? No way! She wasn't worth that much to any of this. She knew what she had said but she hoped she wouldn't have to actually come through with that promise. However, she was never really that lucky, she knew she would eat her words...sooner or later...

She looked up at Draco, her head was on his shoulder. When he was awake Draco looked so stoic and calm, but asleep he showed emotions straight out. She kissed him on his freckle (that one she found on train). "Hey," she said softly. "We have to get back to our dorms."

His eyes stayed closed, "No. Let's lie here a while."

"We have. Draco, we can't let people see us. It would only make things worse." She rubbed his check. She really didn't want to move at all. It sucked.

Again he kissed her hand. "Okay." He rose carefully so he wouldn't hurt Ginny on his way up. He helped her up. Ginny started to say goodbye but he stopped her. There was no way he was going to let walk to her room alone. She was glad for the company.

They didn't talk. They couldn't. What was there to say? He held her hand and kept her close to his body protectively. Of course they didn't see any teachers now that they had an excuse. Better that way anyway. When teachers know about your relations it gets a little awkward. They kissed sweetly and hugged lovingly when they reached the Fat Lady. Draco watched her climb through the portrait and followed her with his eyes until the portrait closed herself. Then he began to make his trek to his dorm.

* * *

That was the worse sleep ever. She had finally got herself to fall asleep two minutes before Mary shook her awake. School today. Yay. She took what could've been the shortest shower of her life, because she realized not only had she gotten no sleep but she had _over_ slept. She walked alone to Breakfast, telling Mary not to get herself late because of her. She looked at the other students jealously. How come she has to deal with this crap and they don't? She didn't really want the lime light. It was alright for a while. Its glimmer wore out real easy. More than anything, she wanted to be invisible today. However, that would be quite impossible. Some first year had seen her and Draco in the bookstore. Now, everyone and their brother knew.

She plopped her books down on the table. She was across from Harry, next to Mary and Ron. Hermione was sitting at the other end of the table glaring at her evily. She didn't care. There were more important things.

"Good morning Gin," Ron said cheerily. He had his arm snaked around Mary's waist.

"Who said it was good?" she mumbled.

"Ginny had a late night last night," Mary whispered to Ron. He nodded his head. He was seriously trying to be good about the Draco thing.

She only barely caught Harry's eye, apparently he was tired too. She could've sworn she saw a bit of worry in his face but she dismissed it. She spent breakfast sleeping. Or at least that's what she had planned to do. A group of girls came and asked her about the Draco thing, then another group, and another. If another person asked her about that damn kiss she would explode. Couldn't they see that she wanted to sleep? Idiots, all of them.

* * *

She had practically crawled through her day. As she walked to another class, there were more people. Some asked her questions, but most just stared at her and whispered. She was on her way to her most favorite class ever…Potions! And on her way down to that hell she saw her most favorite person ever. Ginny tried to slink past her.

"Ginny!"

Damn it.

"Hey, can I talk to you a minute?" Her faux sweet announced.

"Oh, sorry. I've got class." Ginny tried to walk past her. She was pretty fast though and blocked her escape.

"This is worth it," she said with enthusiasm.

Ginny wasn't sure but she thought this girls name was Pansy or something dumb like that. At any rate it was the girl that she had hit in the head a while ago. She held back a giggle. It was pretty funny. But how did she know her name? Ugh, and what the hell did she want to talk about? Pansy dragged her to girl's lavatory. The Slytherin bathrooms were all very dark and dank. This one reeked of mildew and strong perfume. Ginny walked in first and Pansy let the door close behind her.

"You look tired." Pansy leaned against the door. Her arms crossed on her chest. She had thick black eyeliner on, and wore her blonde hair down. She was wearing the uniform, if you use the word 'wearing' in the loosest sense. Her skirt was impossibly short, her blouse way too tight and she had on big black heels.

"I am." Ginny was holding her Potions textbook wondering whether she should just hit Pansy now, or wait to hear what this is about. Curiosity won.

"What do you think your doing?"

Whoa, way to be random. "I was going to class."

"Don't be a smartass. You know what I'm talking about." Pansy's previously fake nice voice was totally gone. Now she was pissed.

Ginny let out a sigh, "I thought you were above gossip."

Pansy smiled. "I am…usually. But this is personal."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ginny must've said that about 50 times today.

"I have a good source that leads me to believe you do," Pansy tried to say dangerously.

Ginny let out a dry laugh. "You consider a first year a good source?"

Pansy pushed off the wall and her arms fell to her sides. Ginny noticed that she was wearing a ring on each finger. All of them were expensive looking, each one silver or white gold. "You should watch yourself." She walked closer. "As I hear it, you're getting pretty comfortable."

"I don't know what you're talking about." What the hell was with Slytherins and stepping into one's personal space.

"No, what you don't know is what you're getting yourself into." Pansy stood right in Ginny's face. Pansy's eyes drifted from Ginny's face and her hand reached up to Ginny's red locks. Pansy gazed strangely at the hair in her palm. She let the crimson strands slide off her hand. Then she backed off and headed towards the exit. "You don't know him at all," she said angrily walking out the door.

Ginny stood in the bathroom a minute. She took a deep breath. A second later her hand lurched out and slammed a door to a toilet. "Fuck!" That really hurt. That was really stupid. She didn't care; she needed to release her anger. Then she remembered that she was supposed to be in Potions class about, oh, 10 minutes ago. She ran out of the bathroom and to class.

"Just add a pinch, so help me if any of you add more than a pinch!" Snape threatened just as Ginny came through the door. "Oh, Ms. Weasely, so glad you could join us. Take a seat and get to work," he barked at her.

A couple of minutes later Ginny finally found out what they were making, no thanks to Snape. She was doing just what he said, add a pinch. He was walking around the room inspecting each student's cauldron. He walked past her but then backed up a few steps. She could feel his eyes on her. She looked up at him, "Yes professor?"

"What happened to you hand?" He asked smoothly.

Ginny looked down at her hand. It was an awful purple brown color and it was swollen. Then she remembered the door to the toilet. Wow, she must've put a good dent in it. "I don't know," she responded in a dull voice. She _hated_ that sentence now.

He knew she was lying. "Remember, just a pinch." And with that he walked away.

A/N: I kind of don't like this chapter. It doesn't flow nicely. I don't know, I think I'm going crazy. Anyway, please review! Love ya lots! School officially ended for me. Now its time for exams…next update will be a little late.


	31. Medical Watch

A/N: Ah, I love you guys…Anyway, Thank you Karms (you're just going to have to wait and see…) and Swimfan (I just realized that you are a reader from the WAY beginning back in '03. Whoa, thanks for staying with me, truly)

Disclaimer: And so what if I don't? I'm calling Rowling out for a fight. Me, her and a kiddy pool of mud…we'll see who disclaims then! (Oh my god, I have lost my mind…)

'Stupid Pansy and her stupid accusations. I so know him…Don't I? I know that he doesn't like his father, but I guess that's common knowledge. Well, I know about his helping the Ministry, I bet _Pansy_ doesn't know that! Shit!' Ginny thought as her Potion began to spill over. A fog over took her table but it didn't get any worse than that.

Snape hustled over, pushing a couple of students out of his way in his chilly manner. "Weasely! What did I say about adding a pinch?" His eyes scanned the table checking out the damage. "You students will be the death of me," he mumbled walking away. Not too long after that the class ended. Ginny was a little confused. He didn't punish her, not even a little bit. She gathered up her things slowly. As she was half way out the door Snape called out.

"10 points from Gryffindor for being late," he murmured distractedly. He was rustling through his desk seemingly looking for something.

"That's it?" Ginny blurted out. She winced. 'Hello! What's wrong with me? Think then speak,' she mentally chided. She waited in the door way for his response. She was preparing for detention.

"Hmm, well. One would think you have enough on your plate," he looked up at stared at her and wryly added, "for now." He then continued searching through his desk.

Ginny looked back at him, he was mumbling something; she slowly walked out of class. Before she could mull over any of today's happenings she so gracefully collided with another person. It was probably the last person she wanted to see but that of course meant she was going to see him. For the briefest of moments they were together in an awkward embrace. She could feel his breath on her neck and the heat from his chest. Before she let herself fall into his essence she pulled away. Unfortunately she made eye contact. Draco's sliver eyes looked, uncharacteristically, tired and there were bags under his eyes. She felt the stab of worry jab her heart. Before they looked suspicious Draco wordlessly pushed her to the side. He walked past without the slightest hesitation.

She let in a slow breath and began her walk back to the tower. She ran into some of her friends who were jovially meandering about the school.

"Ginny!" Tara exclaimed. "We were looking for you!" she was walking a little weird. She came over to Ginny and tripped on her own feet and fell into Ginny arms.

"Is she okay?" Ginny asked the rest of the group. She spotted Luna amongst the group but the other people she didn't really know.

Luna skipped over to Ginny and grabbed Tara from her. "She's fine. A bit too much fun for her," Luna said suggestively. She tried to get Tara to stand straight but she slouched back down every time.

"Oh." A bit too much fun was another way of saying a bit too much to drink. "Where are you all going?"

Luna dragged Tara with much effort to the other girls and tossed her fluid body on them to hold up. "I can't tell you that," she giggled. "It would spoil it." She told the other girls to go on ahead of her. "Plus, I wouldn't want to get you in trouble. Your brother might come after me," she laughed.

Ginny joined her. "Hardly. He is so busy with Mary that he wouldn't notice. But you guys have fun and be careful. Tara tends to get really unpleasant when she's drunk." Ginny turned around to start her trek up the stairs. Ah, the hardest part.

"Thanks Gin."

By the time Ginny reached the fat lady she was beat. She was tired from her restless night and the emotional drainage from seeing Draco. She muttered the password. The fat lady didn't budge.

"I warned you about mucking around with strange boys," she reprimanded strangely sounding like her mom.

"Good news travels fast eh?" Ginny pouted. She didn't need to be yelled at by a painting. Stupid school and its ghosts that hear everything that goes on inside its walls.

After receiving a not to friendly look from the fat lady, she opened up. Ginny drug her feet and collapsed on the red couch. In her attempts to get comfortable her cape (that she wore to the dungeons because there was always a nasty draft) fell to the floor. Slowly her eyes closed and her tired mind sought rest. Some hours later she was awoken by someone shaking her gently.

"Gin? It's dinner time."

She reluctantly opened her eyes. "Mmm…food," she drawled.

She threw her legs over the edge of the couch and rubbed her eyes. Her awaker turned out to be Harry. He looked rested since the last time she saw him.

"Oh, something fell out of your cape." Harry pointed to a neatly folded note on the table in front of her. "I put it there so if you woke up before I came back you'd notice it," he rushed out as if he was proving that he didn't futz with it in any other way.

"Okay. I'll be a minute, Harry," she warned.

"I hate walking down there alone. I can wait." Harry went to other side of the room and sat a chair.

Ginny sat a minute and took in a nice long breath. Then she mind remembered the note. Who gave her a note? She picked it up and carefully unfolded it, trying hard not to rip it. The paper was a cream-ish white and looked like it had been folded and unfolded many times. In the back of her mind she knew who wrote it but she didn't want to get her hopes up for nothing. Alas, it wasn't for nothing. It was from Draco.

_Will you meet me at the astrology tower tonight? Sometime after dinner. Whatever time fits you best. I will wait. If you can make it signal to me at dinner. _

_Draco_

Of course she'd met him! How could she not? She knew it would be awkward and it would be difficult but she still had feelings for him. She suddenly remembered where she was and that Harry was still waiting for her. She jumped to her feet and tucked the note into her pocket. "Sorry." She blushed a tiny bit.

Harry just shook his head, "not a problem. Let's go."

A little while into the walk to the Great Hall the two actual began a conversation. They had mended things over Christmas and it seemed that the mend was going to last. 'So long as he doesn't know about Draco,' Ginny thought to herself.

"Why so tired this morning?" Ginny asked.

"Rough night. You?" Harry looked over to her.

All of her emotions of the prior night overwhelmed her. She tried to affect calmness. She was surprised that such an innocent question could catch her so off guard. "Same," she lied shakily. She then became very quiet as she was silently reeling from her tidal wave of feelings. Harry was going on about something, she couldn't concentrate on him. She was too busy focusing on the fact that she didn't understand anything about what was going on with her.

"Hey? Are you okay?" Harry stopped.

"Yeah, fine." Another lie.

He forced her to look at him. "I'm sorry," he said earnestly. It wasn't his fault. It was a simple question that Ginny had just freaked out about.

"Its not you." Ginny shook her head and looked away. "Look where we are."

They were about 20 meters from the entrance of the Great Hall. She panicked before going in. What signal was she supposed to give to Draco? Gathering herself, she coolly walked in. Harry walked faster, reaching the table seconds before her. He was obviously starving. She looked over at the Slytherin table. She found Draco and next to him Pansy. Both were staring at her but Pansy was staring intensely, as if she was trying to set Ginny ablaze. Ginny looked back ahead of her and winked her eye that was closest to the table. She hoped it was subtle but that it also was noticed. When she sat down she knew Draco got her message. He had the makings of a smile on his face.

She was too anxious about her meeting with Draco to eat much. She did eat the flaky rolls though. Her brother, oh so humorously, mentioned that she ate like a mouse. She threw her roll and it hit him in the face. He then retreated with Mary to do God knows what. Sadly, Ginny hadn't seen much of Mary. She was thinking that she would have to have a talk with her. But that would wait until she had figured her own stuff out.

Dinner, of course, dragged on. It was completely unexciting but apparently she had missed a really fun food fight the other night. While she was being served with super bad news her peers were throwing soggy bread and gravy. A seventh year Ravenclaw built up the gall to throw a piece of roast beef at Snape. It landed in his hair and slid down his face. The people who had seen it said his facial expression was priceless. Oh well. Dinner was finally ending and Ginny waited a little bit. She didn't want to be one of the firsts to leave. She normally wasn't, so it would be a tad suspicious if she did.

She left with a group of people that she wasn't friends with at all. That way people would loose sight of her after a while and she wouldn't worry about the people with her wondering where she was going. She was nervous. She was curious. She didn't want to go and did at the same time. Her emotions were becoming so complex anymore. Deciding to pay attention to where she was going, Ginny forgot about her emotions for a while. The torches weren't burning so bright, forcing her to squint. Under an oddly bright torch she spotted Filche's cat. It was staring directly at her and looked as if it was staring in that direction the entire time. Ginny's heart jumped; she was dead for sure. She would be slapped with detention for the rest of the year. Filche hated Ginny after what happened her first year even though his cat was fine AND it wasn't her fault. She made it top priority to never cross paths with him again.

Ginny was frozen still. She stared at the cat just waiting to hear Fliche's coarse voice float down the hallway asking if there was someone, something there. She waited. Nothing. After a bit the cat lurched out and scratched Ginny exposed shin. It quickly scurried down the hallway and Ginny listened to it retreat further and further away. Ginny briefly looked at her cut, having received many from Crookshanks to know what that sort of scratch looks like. She continued down the hallway, never hearing Fliche's voice or anything to detect his presence at all.

She made it to the tower door. Her eyes scanned the old wooden door. She closed her eyes and collected her thoughts. After opening the door the cold night air rushed over her body. The stars were shining bright and the moon was large. The balcony was nicely lit. Breaking her observations she heard, "Glad you decided to come."

The disembodied voice seemed to come from behind her. She hadn't realized that she was so far from the door, which was closed now. "Glad to be here," she lied. Standing there she concluded that she didn't want to know what Draco had to say. She didn't want to be handed any more news. She could barely handle what she had now.

Draco walked to where she stood. He looked so innocent in the moonlight. She couldn't help but admire his perfect face and his freckle. "I supposed you're wondering why we are here." He took her silence as a yes. "I have something very important to tell you."

Ginny worriedly asked, "Is it bad?" No use hiding her apprehension from him. Not after what they would go through.

"That depends on your view of bad."

"It's bad isn't it?" She crossed her arms. He remained silent, clearly calculating something witty to say that meant yes but sounded like no. "Just tell me already."

Draco took a deep breath. "We are not the only two that know about our situation."

'Duh! He dragged me up here for that!' she thought. "I know. The teachers know too."

He was thrown off a little. "No, I meant we're not the only two students."

"What?" She was not happy about this. "I didn't tell anyone, I swear!" She was trying to figure out how they were found out so early. She hadn't even told Mary.

"I'm not blaming this on you." He shook his head and grabbed her arm. "Dumbledore was the one. Actually, this person knew even before you." He dropped his arm and looked down.

"Who?" Ginny was slightly offended. Why was she always the last to know?

Draco paused a minute as if he was _now_ debating whether to tell her.

Ginny could kill him; there was no way he was going to make her wait in suspense. "Draco!" She yelled at him.

"It's me," another voice rang out from the shadows.

Ginny whipped around. Her eyes strained to see a figure approaching. When the person was under the moonlight she could see it perfectly. And she died. Her arms fell from her chest to her sides. She leaned forward making sure she had the person right. "Harry?" She breathed in disbelief and anger.

"Me." He was standing with his arms crossed and a somewhat cocky grin on his face.

She turned back around and Draco was gone, he went to over to where Harry was. Ginny stared at the two _boys_ in her vision. "What the hell is going on? Draco, when were you going to tell me about this?"

"Well, I was. But, we got in that fight and then I decided not to and then you got knocked out and," he rushed, his arms telling the story as well as his voice.

She cut him off, "You mean he knew about this since before break!" She was pissed. This meant that everything that Harry had told her about Draco being 'dangerous' was true. It meant that _he_ was right! It meant that she had been a complete ass to him when he was totally right.

"Well, yeah but," again he got cut off.

"But what? But I wasn't important enough to tell?" She had her hands on her hips and completely forgot about Harry standing there.

"No, of course you're important," Draco said caringly. He too apparently forgot about Harry, and looked over to see if Harry had heard him. Judging from the menacing look on his face, Harry had heard. "I mean, it wasn't like that."

"Well, what was it like. 'Cause I would really like to know!"

Harry decided to help Draco out. "Ginny, this is a long story. Now, just calm down and everything will be explained." Harry had tenacity about him and Ginny decided to back down. "In the beginning of the year Dumbledore called me into his office. He wanted to me to help out with an assignment. He didn't give me any details concerning the purpose of the assignment and I didn't ask, yet. I first asked who I was helping and he told me." Harry stopped and looked away.

"Who?" Ginny felt oddly detached from the situation as if she was watching a muggle film.

Harry didn't answer. Draco did, "Me."

"I declined," Harry said shortly.

"You refused! Tell her the truth," he demanded.

Harry shot back, "okay so I was being pigheaded. I thought that Draco was the helper. I, however, was the helper. So when I _refused_," Harry squeezed out the word, "Dumbledore allowed Draco to do it on his own."

Draco grinned and walked up to Ginny. He whispered to her, "Do you remember our first kiss?" After seeing her nod he supplemented, "those two events occurred on the same day." He was still smirking at her and she blushed remembering it.

"But that doesn't explain how you know about us." Ginny shifted her weight staring right at Harry.

"Everyone knew you two had a thing for each other. I found out from observation that you guys were actually 'together' or whatever you want to call it. Ron later confirmed it by asking me to be okay with your social life which could only mean Draco," Harry finished.

"Merlin Potter! Get to the good part already," Draco requested impatiently.

"Well, after Draco got in a pretty bad scrape," Harry was interrupted.

"It was all out brawl, please! Give me some credit!" Draco whined good-naturedly.

"Anyway, after that he wasn't allowed to go out without some help. I volunteered." Harry looked down at his nails.

"Why did _you_ volunteer?" Ginny looked from Harry to Draco waiting for an answer.

"After you defended him so adamantly I figured he couldn't be all that bad." Harry smiled at them both.

"Was she right?" Draco taunted.

"Shut up," Harry snapped jokingly.

"He knows you were," Draco whispered to Ginny.

Harry rolled his eyes. "After I volunteered it got pretty quiet and then Dumbledore told me about the letter." The mood had lost it childish tone and was now stuck in a serious bog. "And that's everything."

So, Draco and Harry were partners while trying to help the Ministry of Magic track Draco's father. Her life was, officially, ridiculous. Just when she figured everything out, the rules change. Perfect.

She noticed that her hands were shaking; the cold air was finally getting to her. "Okay, well, I'm going to bed." And with that she simply walked back inside the school and headed to her dorm. She really needed to get some sleep, and she really needed to warm up.

Draco and Harry just stood there staring as if they couldn't believe Ginny just left like that. But really, what did they expect? "So, did that go well?" Draco turned to Harry for an answer.

"I'm…not really sure." Harry tilted his head in confusion. He looked at Draco, "What? How should I know?"

"You've known her longer," Draco said simply. Harry didn't answer and continued looking at the door. Draco shook his head and walked back inside as well. He was tired but he needed to talk to Ginny alone.

"Not really," Harry mumbled sadly.

Draco heard Ginny retreating feet loudly slapping the floor. He caught up to her easily. He stalked her for a little while and then walked up really close behind her. He waited for to respond to her newly formed paranoia that he too had. He waited for her to spin around and shout into the darkness demanding to know who was there. He wasn't disappointed.

When Ginny turned Draco was already there and he caught her on the lips. It was surprising and Ginny nearly had heart failure. But a second into the kiss she realized who it was and she felt her adrenaline ease. As soon as the kiss ended she asked, "Oh, sure, you think a kiss will make everything all better?"

"I my perfect world it would," he quipped. He smirked her enjoying how well he executed the kiss.

"Okay, well have fun in your perfect world." Ginny turned and started walking away.

"Where are you going?" He asked perplexed.

"Some people _need_ their beauty sleep," she laughed.

He caught up to her again and grabbed her by slinking his arm around her waist. "Then why would _you_ be going to bed?"

Sometimes he was too cute. "When did you become such a softie?" She arched her eyebrow.

He kissed her on the check and answered, "When everything became so tough."

Harry walked alone to his dorm. He truly hated walking the hallways at night. There was always some memory associated with each hallway. Each step he took reminded him of the good times he had with Ron and Hermione back in the day. He wasn't even an adult yet and he already felt so old. With each morning his heart became heavier and heavier. Each day his head filled with more and more regrets. Each night his conscience was dying with more and more guilt. He passed a broom closet and remembered the time Hermione locked Ron in there when she got pretty mad at him for making a snide comment on her need to finish her homework right when she receives it…

She was nice and cozy underneath all of her covers. She was also very warm but her hands were still shaking a bit. She chalked that up to her conversation with Draco and Harry. When she was first delivered the news she couldn't have been more pissed. And then she began to understand the situation better and then she didn't know what to think. She left them both so she could go think but Draco destroyed that ever happening by creeping up behind her. He wanted to know if she was okay, she told him it was fine. She also explained to him what had happened between her and Harry. He laughed, she kicked him in the shin, it all worked out. She decided that she would give a formal apology to Harry in the morning. But first she was going to have to go to sleep…

BAM! "Ow."

Ginny woke up when her head connected with the cold, hard stone floor. Slowly, she got herself up and rubbed her head. "That's ganna leave a mark." Pulling back the curtains she noticed it was indeed morning. She figured that since she was already awake she would get ready for classes. When she had finished with everything she could possibly think of doing, she still had an hour before Breakfast was even served. She grabbed a Teen Witch Weekly and decided to cozy up on the couch in the common room.

She had been reading an article, "Friend or Foe?" when she was interrupted by a hoard of students coming down the stairs. Amongst them was, of course, Harry. She grumbled a little, knowing that she had to make good on her promise. He noticed her, of course, and decided to take a seat right next to her. Ginny didn't have the kind of luck for him to not notice and keep walking.

"Whatcha reading?" He was certainly chipper this morning.

"TWW, but it's the December issue so I think you've already seen it," she retorted good-naturedly.

He smiled, "haha very funny. You're up early. Aren't you usually late to breakfast?"

"Usually," she drawled. "But I had a rough sleep and woke up early."

"Oh."

She put the magazine down. "Harry, I have something to say to you."

"Yeah," his voice didn't give away anything but it wasn't mean.

"I…" she swallowed, and with it went her pride. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for disregarding everything you told me. I'm sorry I didn't hear you out. I'm sorry that I treated you rudely."

Her sincerity was clear and Harry was happy to hear it. "It's okay," he smiled. "I probably would've responded just as you did."

Phew, was that a load of her chest! Now she could continue reading to find out if her friends are really 'friends.'

"Cold?" Draco asked.

Ginny looked down at her hands. She hadn't even noticed they were shaking. "No, my hands have just been shaking for some reason."

It had been two weeks since she got back from break. Tensions eased considerably with Harry and she had barely seen Mary since she was over her house last. Her and Draco were sitting on the floor of a classroom. It was their meeting spot. Even if a teacher shout spot them, nobody would punish them. They would yell and make them go back to their dorms but they wouldn't deduct points or dish out detention. "For how long," Draco asked concerned.

"Not very," she lied. They had been shaking, non stop, for 13 days now. "I'm fine," she stated.

"You look tired too." He turned his head so he could see her face properly. "You have bags under you eyes." He rubbed the purple-ish skin lightly.

She gently swatted his hand away. "I'm fine," she repeated. "I've been having odd dreams is all."

"Dreams?" Draco perked up. "What kind of dreams?"

"Dreams that usually lead to me falling off my bed," she answered bitterly.

"Well, what happens in you dreams?"

"I dunno. I can't remember them." She paused a minute in silent contemplation. "Anyway…any news?"

Draco sighed heavily. "No, my father is keeping very quiet."

Ginny looked down at her hands, "I meant about Lou," she said quietly.

He could feel her fear radiating off her body. He was sure that she could feel his. "No."

Two days later Ginny was in her last class of the day: Potions. She was late, as usual. Gryffindor lost 10 points, as usual. Ginny had been keeping up with her work but only doing the minimum. She didn't have the energy anymore. Her lack of sleep was really starting to catch up with her. All of her teachers flashed concerned faces as they watched her hand in sloppy work through half opened eyes. Even Snape was beginning to show signs of pity, in his own mean and awkward way.

"Today, class, we will be working on a sleeping potion," his eyes darted over to Ginny whose head was only held up by her arm. "Its not that difficult so I should expect you to finish it by today, if not, then you will be doing two potions tomorrow…" Snape babbled on. He was going over all the ingredients that she would need. She mindlessly wrote them down as he talked. "…you will need most importantly, Sage Root." And he again looked over to her with a smirk on his face.

She worked hurriedly and precisely. This not so difficult potion, turned out to be a very tricky one at that. You had to put the, finely chopped, Sage Root in at just the right moment or the formula would be completely ineffective. She thought that she got hers in correctly but there was only one way of knowing that. However, she would never know personally because at the end of class all potions are handed into Snape so he can evaluate them. She would find out in, usually, 2 days or so if she got it right by the grade she received.

Class ended and students bustled to get their potions in a container to hand in. She took her time and didn't spill a drop. She had gotten this part down to perfection, well, almost. There was that one time at the beginning of the year where she had spilt nearly all of her potion but that didn't count because someone had smacked into the back of her elbow causing her aim to be totally off. Most of the students were gone and the few that were there were gathering up their things. She walked up to his desk and delicately placed the container in front of him.

He looked up from his work. "You seem pretty confidant." He examined the container closely. "Judging by the color, it would seem you got this right."

She beamed. She didn't ruin anything by coming back at him with some cocky retort. She made a move to walk away but Snape stopped her by telling her to wait. She tentatively walked back. "Yes?"

"Just to make sure," he said as he placed a vial of his own in front of her. She looked at him curiously and took the vial. "Don't plan on making it to your first two classes tomorrow."

She stared down at the vial in her hand. "Okay." Just before she left she called out, "thanks."

About five hours later she was sitting next to Draco in the same empty classroom they always met in. They were being quiet as neither of them had anything interesting to say and were merely enjoying the other persons company.

"So, the weirdest thing happened to me today," Ginny stated randomly.

"Yeah, what?" He asked distractedly. Draco was staring at the floor whilst he made the vein like cracks wider.

"Snape was...nice…to _me_." She looked at him thinking that would give her some sort of reaction.

Draco was still busy with the floor. "Oh. How so?"

"He gave me a sleeping potion. Well, we made them in class today but he gave me one that he made." She took the vial out from her cape.

After the briefest of looks, "Yeah, that's nice." He immediately went back to his chipping.

"Draco?" She sang sweetly.

"Uh huh," he responded without looking up.

"How does Snape know I haven't been sleeping well?"

"Anyone with a set of eyes can tell that."

Ginny pushed him.

"Hey! What was that for?" He lost his interest in the floor.

"Snape has never once given two shits about me. Why would he now? He wouldn't unless someone asked him to," she hinted.

He met her gaze confidently. "So you think I asked Snape to keep an eye on you?"

"No, I think you asked Snape to make a sleeping potion for me though." She smirked at him but doubted he could see it in the dim candlelight.

He did though. "Why can't you be happy that my connections got you some good stuff?"

"So you did!" She grinned.

"So what? Snape likes me, so since I speak so highly of you, now you can get some special treatment," he responded triumphantly.

"Oh, you speak highly of me, eh?" She smiled at him in a cocky way, a way that she learned from him.

"Just returning the favor," he smirked.

Ginny took the potion. It worked. She slept. But her dreams still tormented her. Even though her eyes were closed she received no rest. It had been two weeks past that and she noticed that her hands and her jaw now trembled constantly. She had to keep her mouth tightly shut and her hands clasped to hid the condition. She got barely any sleep and she got barely any work done. It got to the point where Draco and Harry forced her to go see Madame Pomfrey.

She was on her way there. It was a Sunday morning and she was tired as hell. She didn't go to sleep that night nor the night before. She was running on the energy she gathered from a nap taken during Defense against the Dark Arts class two days ago. She felt like a zombie, walking with her feet scraping the floor, her head hung down, and her body weaker than ever.

"Ms. Weasely! Sit down, sit down!" Pomfrey ordered, already telling from her appearance what was wrong.

Ginny happily sat down on the comfy mattress.

"Now, I think I already know what your problem is, but just in case: what is wrong dear?" Pomfrey stood staring down at her with big caring eyes.

"I haven't had a good night's sleep in a while," she was interrupted.

"A while? Estimate how long please."

Ginny thought a second, "two weeks."

Pomfrey clicked her tongue. "Anything else?"

"I've been shaking non stop for four weeks. It used to be just my hands but now its my jaw too. And just the other day I noticed my feet shaking as well," Ginny listed off.

Madame Pomfrey furrowed her eyebrows. "Interesting. Did you hurt yourself at all?"

"No."

"Have you been known to have these problems before?"

"No."

"Hmm…" The older woman stood and thought a minute.

'That can't be a good sign,' Ginny thought to herself.

"Did you take any sleeping potions?"

"Yes, but it didn't help. It let me go to sleep but I have these wild dreams that are so intense that I don't wake up rested." She yawned.

"What happens in your dreams?" The older woman was rubbing her chin in thought. Trying to figure out Ginny's ailments.

"I don't remember. Not a single one of them."

After thinking it over quite some time Madame Pomfrey decided to give Ginny some medication. It was to stop the shaking and to calm her nerves. She thought perhaps if Ginny stopped shaking she could get even just a wink of sleep.

So, there Ginny lied. Staring up at the ceiling in complete boredom and she was humming to herself. She was very calm, not shaking and very tired. Yet, she was still awake. Madame Pomfrey would check in on her every half hour. Each time she'd see Ginny awake she would make this nervous kind of face and walk away. It was a little unsettling.

After four hours of lying there the medicine wore off and her shaking began again. And this time the shaking in her feet had gotten worse. It was now more than a twitch and was an official shiver. Her jaw was more than trembling now and her hands were shaking a tad worse than before. But, that's what usually happened when she 'woke up.'

She was put on medical watch for a week. That meant that she didn't have to go to class and was excused from all work for that week. It would've been great, had the circumstances been better. Madame Pomfrey insisted that Ginny stay with her but Ginny really wanted to just be in her own dorm, in her own bed. Finally Pomfrey caved and sent her off.

It was nighttime now. Dinner was being served. She wasn't hungry. She was walking past endless hallways and the trek to her dorm seemed to be a much longer path than usual. Before she reached the stairs she felt her eyes roll into the back of her head and he knees give out. She also heard the sickening thud of her head smacking against cold, hard stone. Then it was black.

Harry was looking around. His eyes jetted from person to person. No Ginny. As he was checking the Slytherin table, (hey, ya never know), his eyes caught Draco's. His too had the same nervous look about them. Wordlessly they both got up and left the Great Hall. Once they were far enough away to not arouse suspicion they approached.

"Have you seen Ginny?" Harry asked concerned.

"No, you?" Draco displayed the same amount of worry as Harry.

"No."

They started looking around for her. Draco kept thinking, maybe she was here, or maybe here. He thought of any place for her to be as long as it was in the castle. Just as he was going in to check a classroom he heard Harry.

"Oh crap. Ginny!"

Draco ran over and then he understood. There was Ginny's near lifeless figure sprawled out on the floor. He put his ear to her chest. She was alive. She was asleep. He scooped her up and started to walk up the stairs when he heard them.

"Draco?" Goyle called out. "Where'd you go?"

He snarled. "I really do hate them sometimes." He turned to Harry. "You take her then."

Harry took Ginny from Draco and proceeded up the steps.

"What do you idiots want?" Harry heard Draco spat distantly.

Harry dug into his breakfast the next morning. His toast was nice and hot and it made the butter all melty and delicious! He looked up and realized that sadly his breakfast would have to wait. Draco was waving to him from outside the Great Hall. "Always when I'm eating!"

"So, how is she?" Draco asked hurriedly when Harry made it.

"She's fine. She's sleeping soundly. I got two girls to get her to her bed last night," he answered annoyed.

Draco left with a sigh and Harry went back to his toast, now ruined and cold.

It had been all day and he hadn't seen her. He hadn't even seen the inkling of her. He hadn't even mistaken anyone for her. She was skipping class, maybe? She was finally getting some sleep perhaps? He didn't know. He was on his way to go see Snape about her symptoms. Maybe he could shed some light on the situation.

"Malfoy, how nice of you to drop by." Snape was digging through his stuff.

"Was she in class today?"

"No, she's on medical watch." He stopped looking around. "Didn't you know?"

"Apparently not. I did, however, find her passed out on the floor last night." Draco looked at his nails.

Snape arched his eyebrow. "Is she still out then?"

"I would guess so." Draco felt a little useless.

"That's strange," he mused to himself.

"How so?" Draco leaned up on Snape's desk.

"Well, she goes from pure exhaustion to comatose. Does that make any sense to you?" Snape asks.

Draco left the room as soon as he got the point Snape was making. He went upstairs to the Gryffindor tower not caring who saw. He got a puny little first year to get him into the common room. Ah, it was great fun picking on first years.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," Harry laughed. "What are you doing here?"

"Where's she?" He has this strange look about him, Harry couldn't place it. It was almost like worry but it was more anxious than that.

"She's upstairs sleeping," he said simply.

"Do you _know_ that?" Draco eyes stared intensely at Harry who just confused by the strange behavior.

Harry turned around, "Mary?"

"Yeah," she looked up from a book.

"Where is Ginny?" Harry asked mechanically.

She looked confused and answered timidly, "She's upstairs sleeping." Draco stared at her now. She looked back down unable to handle it. "I was supposed to meet Ron downstairs a while ago," she stated as an excuse and then left.

Draco sat down on a hard chair and Harry peered down at him. "What is wrong?"

"I dunno. Something isn't right…" Draco was ringing his fingers.

Harry took in a breath. He sensed it too. "Want to go check on her?"

"Okay, only one of us can go up there," Harry began.

"Like hell. We're both going."

"Fine. We have to climb up and then across. The stairs won't let boys up to the girl's dormitory," Harry said pointing out the path.

"That's weird." Draco gave Harry a side ways glance.

They both dug their fingers into the rock and went 6 stones up and 5 stones across. It wasn't very easy. The width of the space between each stone was barely big enough for their fingers and their feet were having a tough time finding a hold. It took them nearly ten minutes before they even reached the height of the dormitory. Then another couple to make it across. They jumped from the wall and landed with a thud on the stone floor.

There was Ginny's bed, second to the last on the left. The curtains were drawn. Harry and Draco gave each other a look and calmly (or as much calm as they could muster) walked up to the bed. Harry pulled back the curtain swiftly. SWOOSH. They both stared.

No Ginny.

A/N: Whoa, how long was that! I felt bad for the late update. Happy Fourth of July (a little late) to the people celebrating it. I'm going away on vacation for a week, so next update won't be till the very earliest 18. Expect it more towards the 20th though. I was recently reading though reviews and I must say I have the best readers. So what other stories have like a kazillion reviews! I've got you guys and you only are making my ego swell. I love it. I love you all. Thank you!


	32. Of trivalities and Such

A/N: Thanks to my constant reviewers! I love you guys! I have my fic all planned out to the tee, and I think you'll enjoy it (or rather, I hope you will). Also, I noticed a bunch of stuff that wasn't all that clear, or correct, in the last chapter. I'm going to mildly rewrite it. Not all of it, mind you, just some certain parts. Example: Draco and Snape's convo, Harry's breakfast…

Swimfan: you are, simply put, awesome. Thanks for reviewing practically every chapter! It really means a lot.

Nickel: Thank you, also, for reviewing consistently. Yay, I like when I get 'wow's.

Disclaimer: Xani's mud covered head bows in shame. Then with a tear, Xani utters, "I disclaim."

* * *

Ginny became very aware of her surroundings all at once. It wasn't like opening one's eyes to the bright morning light. It was just a realization of consciousness. It was how her dreams usually began. Even with her lack of sleep she had never forgot this particular sensation. She hated it. It made her feel as though she had been daydreaming and rudely awaken. It had played a part in her sleep deprivation, in that she would dread sleeping so much that at the beginning to would actually avoid it. Sometimes she would purposefully not sleep. She hated her sleep as much as she had missed it. She had never dreamed much before and was grateful for it. She recalled the stories Ron had told her in confidence about Harry's dreams in his fifth year. But ever since her trembling began, her sleeps became increasingly lacking in rest due her vivid dreams. She never really worried about them being visions or premonitions. They had a cartoon quality about them. Objects and people that weren't in her direct vision or attention were blurred or distorted.

And that is how she knew she was in dream right then. She was in her bed, as her dreams usually started off regardless of where she had fallen asleep in reality. The curtains were an oddly bright red color (asopposed to the usual crimson tone)and the gold fringe seemed to sparkle. She looked around and saw her peers sound asleep. Or she assumed they were her peers. None of them could she make out clearly. That was until she got up and past Hermione's bed. Her face was surprisingly sharp. Her features stood out plainly. From the small band of freckles on her nose to the perfect straightness of each strand of her dull brown hair.

Ginny ignored it and continued walking. Something in her, like an instinctive voice, told her to walk around a bit. She left the girls dormitory. The further she drifted from her bed the more certain she was about this being a dream. As objects past from her view they fell into a dark mist that was behind her. She couldn't distinguish any stone from another. The cracks seemed to disappear the masonry turned into a bumpy gray wall. She noticed one student sleeping on the couch. The form of the body was sloppy looking and Ginny couldn't make out who it was. Her instinctive voice told her to go on but she wanted to see who was there. She crept closer trying not to awake them. The head of the body was hidden under a worn, knitted blanket. She came closer and knelt down in front of where she suspected the face to be.

Her fingers clasped the blanket and gently peeled the blanket from the face. A tuft of wild dark hair first caught her attention. She knew who it was immediately. All the same she continued to pull away the covering. Like Hermione's, Harry's features seemed distinctively accurate. She figured this was because she was so close. His mouth widened, let out a yawn and then his body turned away from Ginny. She got up and continued walking to the portrait. She took one last look back to see who else was there. No one was, but as her head turned forward her eyes caught sight of Harry's arm. There was the scar he received while practicing quite a while ago. It was outlined in a way that made it easy to see but the actual scarred part was very faint. Shaking thecuriousity fromher head Ginny left the common room.

Outside the room she saw something move in the shadows. It moved with a grace that was attractive to her. Her voice told her to track it. Each torch in the hallway was lit when she started off. But after she past each set, the torches blew out. In reality this would have struck her weird and even frightened her. However, she knew, with more certainty with each step she took, that she was dreaming.

Suddenly she heard a voice call out. She didn't understand what it said and turned to see what was yelling. She believed it to belong to a person; a person whose silhouette was lost in the darkness of corridor. Then she heard a crash and it was then she noticed that something that she was following had quickened its pace. She forgot about the person behind her and chased after the graceful creature.

* * *

"Where is she?" Draco yelled out. He lifted up her pillows and threw them off the bed. He tore off the sheets and ripped down the curtains. It was almost as if he expected her to jump up and say, "Gotcha!"

"How the hell do I know?" Harry answered just as angry but in a more quiet way. He looked around the room. "There's no sign of a struggle or anything," he mused aloud.

"You think she went willingly?" Draco asked incredulously.

"I don't know." Harry turned around.

"Where are you going?" He asked when he heard Harry walking away. Draco's voice was muffled due to the fact his head was underneath Ginny's bed;

"Bathroom. You never know," Harry answered before Draco could ask. He knew it would be empty. If Ginny was in there he would've heard the shower. He also would've seen an outfit set out on her bed (he noticed it the last time she took a shower he remembered with a smile).

Draco was just about to tell Potter nothing was under the bed until he saw Ginny's trunk. He knew that nothing _that_ important would be in there but he decided to look anyway while St. Potter was checking the bathroom. He noticed the lock on the trunk immediately and preformed the correct spell to open it. He also made a mental note to buy her a more secure lock after this was all over. He lifted the top and to his immediate sight were robes. Old, worn, hand me down robes. He pushed them aside and while doing that a piece of paper fell out of the pocket. It was note. It was old and the paper had yellowed considerably. He knew it was wrong but he opened it all the same assuring himself that it was for the best. Hey, you never know if that note contained important information on where she was now until you open it. And if it didn't, well, then he wouldn't mention it to Ginny.

Upon opening the note he saw that it wasn't titled to anyone in particular. It just started off. He read the whole thing. It was crap. Pure crap. It had no relevant information at all. It was just a lot of lovey dovey, musy gushy, boyfriend girlfriend things. Then, all at once it hit him. It was a wave of anger and sadness. He wanted to beat the living hell out of someone and he wanted to cry (that was, if he could actually cry. He was a Malfoy after all). He soon realized that he was jealous. For the first time in his life he admitted to feeling jealous. Mostly because it was the first time that he had been hit with the emotion. Who the hell was the person that wrote this letter? It obviously was written to Ginny; why else would she have it! Just as his jealously hit its peak, he figured that it must be from Ginny's ex boyfriend. He had no idea who that was because he had never taken that great of an interest in the littlestWeasley before this year.

He looked back down at the trunk and saw a white piece of parchment sticking out of one of the robes. He grabbed it hastily, hoping this one would contain names. Opening, he knew it already. He didn't need names. He knew who wrote it, and he knew who received it. It was the letter he had written Ginny during Winter break. Thinking back on it now, Winter break seemed like a forever ago.

"I thought you didn't write letters," a voice teased.

Draco jumped a little and turned around to face a smug looking Potter. "I don't," he said shortly shoving the note and the letter back into the trunk. He then closed it with a slam.

"Well, you fooled me then. That certainly did seem like your signature on the end of that note," Harry responded with a smirk.

Draco resisted the urge to smack him. "So what if it was." He got up and walked to the stairs.

"Aww, Malfoy _does_ have a soft spot!" Harry put his hand on his chest as he said the phrase in a detectibly feminine voice.

"Shut up Potter!" Draco spat at him before falling on his ass as the stairs turned into a stone slide.

"Ahh!" both him and Harry screamed in unison while the sliding down to the very hard floor. Obviously, their bickering had distracted them to the point where they forgot about the trick stairs.

* * *

Ginny had been following the graceful thing for quite some time now. In fact, she was positive that she was now outside the castle. Though, it was eerily dark and she couldn't be too sure of anything. It was the cracking of sticks and old leaves that gave away that detail. If that was true, she had no idea how long she had been outside though.

"Where are you going?" She asked not expecting an answer back.

Her next footfall did answer her though. The sound of her foot landing in a goop told her she was no longer outside but in that tunnel she had taken Draco before break. Merlin, did that feel a world away. It was weird that she would be dreaming about that. She had never dreamed about it before or during her 'sickness.' Her dreams during her trembling times had mostly been frightening and creepily distorted, as far as she could remember. She noticed soon that it was only her steps that were echoing in the tunnel. The creature had stopped. Her heart started beating faster and her eyes jetted back and forth.

Then her eyes spotted a silhouette down at the far end of the tunnel. It was the right height for who she wanted to see. She slowed her pace and carefully continued. She soon saw a cloak. An ethereal light shined upon it and it sparkled green. She quickened her pace. Could it be? The only pleasant dream she had, and it involved him. 'That must mean something,' part her said. She shut that part up momentarily as she tried to confirm her suspicions. She was a stones throw away but she stopped. She stood motionless for a little bit hoping the figure would announce it's self. When that didn't happen she took a painstakingly careful step forward.

Her tired, hushed voice called out, "Draco?"

* * *

"Ow," Harry breathed out.

"Hef voff ee!"

Harry shook his head. "Huh?"

"Giff oof EE!" the voice screamed out a second time.

"OH!" Harry exclaimed as he realized that his ass was sitting on someone's face.

"Air!" Draco screamed as Harry shifted.

"Ha-ha…I mean, I'm sorr-" Harry couldn't even finish he was laughing so hard.

"Well, when you say it like that," Draco reasoned. Then he hit Potter squarely on the shoulder, "bastard."

"That was totally worth it." Harry rubbed his shoulder.

"Enough!" Draco stood up and tried to ignore the fact Harry fucking Potter had been sitting on his face. "So, anything in the bathroom?"

"Nope."

"What now?" Draco walked to portrait hole. He turned his head to see a worried looking first year sitting at the far table by the fireplace. He made a menacing face and the kid returned to its work. He laughed on the inside.

"Cheap trick," Harry told him while walking at his side.

"Yeah, well, I get my jollies when I can. So what now?"

"Hmm…" Harry tapped his chin. "Let's think."

"Wait a minute." Draco stuck out his arm in front of Harry before he could go any further. "Who told us Ginny was up there?"

"Mary," Potter responded instantly. Then it hit him too. "Ginny couldn't have left without us noticing. There's no secret passage up there."

Draco didn't know how Harry knew this but decided to trust him on it. What other option did he have? "Mary lied then," he said simply.

Harry looked appalled. "No way. Mary is Ginny's best friend!"

"Really?" Harry nodded and Draco thought a second. "Well that makes things interesting."

"No shit."

"How long has Ginny known her?" Draco hated asking Potter, it made him feel ignorant and silly.

"Um, third year maybe. But, it gets even more screwed up."

"Really?" Draco began walking when he remembered that first year listening in. He walked through the portrait hole with Harry right behind him.

"Mary is also Ron's girlfriend." Harry looked absolutely astonished.

"Oh."

"All you can say is 'oh'!'"

"Well, I am a Slytherin. This isn't exactly the most fucked up thing I've ever heard in my life, Potter." Draco started walking whatever direction he wanted; at that point it was to the left.

"Wait!"

Draco rolled his eyes. "What?"

"She's this way," He said cryptically.

"Oh, really? How the hell do you know?" Draco walked over to him.

"I thought it was dream. It had to have been a dream!" Harry was ranting.

"Alright, what the hell are talking about?" Draco stood in front of him patiently. 'Haste makes waste,' he was always told and this was too important to mess up.

"I…I had a dream," Potter furrowed his eyebrows and lowered his gaze. "Or at least I thought it was dream. I mean, I haven't had a dream in a while…." He continued nonsensically.

"Uh huh. Get to the bloody point."

"Well in the dream I thought I saw someone walking this way. It was dark; the torches were going out as the person walked past them. I thought it odd since it was so late, and they were breaking curfew and all…"

'Just fucking great,' Draco thought to himself. "What happened then?"

"There was some sort of crash and the person ran off." His eyes looked a little glazed over. He went very quit all the sudden.

Draco waved his hand in front of Potter's eyes. "Hello!"

* * *

"Draco?" She had called out. The only sound she heard was her own voice, echoing faintly. Her breath slowed and became noiseless. She lifted her foot from the tunnel floor and she set it down in front of her painfully slow. One step. She lifted her other foot even slower, if conceivable, and put down in front of the first one. Another step. As her paranoia melted away her footfalls became more regular. She was almost at a decent pace.

Then, she stopped. She had the feeling that someone, or something, was near her. But, she hadn't made it toDraco (she hoped) at the end of thetunnel. And,she didn't hear them approach, nor did she hear their breathing. After what she felt was a few minutes her hand left the safety of the wall and stretched out ahead. She waved it about, feeling for something, anything, to prove she wasn't crazy, to prove that something was there. After feeling nothing but air she was actually relived. To hell she was crazy, she was ecstatic to be so. She was safe again.

Oh, how wrong she was. Barely a second later she felt a hand. There was hand in her hair. It was petting her gently at first and then suddenly her head was yanked backwards. But before she could see the person's face, she saw a bright light flash before her eyes. Just before blacking out she heard a familiar chipper voice:

"Night, night."

* * *

Sigh, the things he did. Presently Draco was waiting for Potter. The absurdity of the idea wasn't what really pissed him off. Rather it was the trueness of the fact. He was leaning against the wall outside the Gryffindor common room. He stared down at his nails. Because there was no flaw with them he looked away. As the absoluteness of the boredom and impatience set in, there jumped out Potter.

"He's in the Room of Requirement," Harry blurted. "I'm sure you know where that is," he hinted.

Draco shrugged his shoulders, "oh you know, I stumble upon this and that."

Harry rolled his eyes and they set off to find Ron. Not so long later they were standing in the empty hallway outside of the Room of Requirement. Nothing seemed out of place. But appearances here were very deceiving. Besides, looks weren't what they needed to concentrate on.

"We need to figure out how to get in." Harry was in concentration, as his knitted eyebrows clearly told.

"Gee, you think?"

"This isn't the time for sarcasm."

"Can't help it. I am a Slytherin after all," he explained...again. "Besides, how did you know Weasley was going to be in here anyway?"

"Oh, you know. I stumble upon this and that." Harry said vaguely.

"If there's no place for sarcasm then there shouldn't be any for mimicking," Draco stipulated.

Harry wasgetting antsy. "We have to stopped dicking around and get in there."

"Why? How does finding your buddy help out the situation at all?" It was question that he had in his head for a bit now.

"What did Mary say to us before she left?" Harry, now, was the one to display patience.

"That she had to meet up with Ron." And then it hit him. "Oh! Well, don't I look foolish?"

"Yes you do," Harry answered with a smile.

* * *

She had been slipping in and out of consciousness for a while. She couldn't remember how long she had been out at each interval. At the beginning she tried to keep track of the time by counting off the seconds as well as she could. This proved to be pretty useless as she couldn't keep tract in during her blackouts. She gave up on in it quickly.

Time was a frivolous element anyway. The only thing that mattered was outside of her measurement. She took in a shaky breath. In her valiant efforts she couldn't expel her fear. Her surroundings weren't so welcoming either. The room she was in had no windows and smelt very moldy and reeked of sweat. There were green tinted water stains coming from the air vent to the left of head. She couldn't turn her head that well but her peripheral vision was helping her out. The reason for her head immobility was severe pain in her neck muscles.

This troubled her for two reasons. One being that she was scared that she had really done some damage to herself, or well, had damage done to herself. But, secondly, that physical characteristicsnever register in a dream. This meant that this hard wooden chair, those metal bonds, the disgusting smell, and the ominous door, was all real. She was captured. She had screwed up, big time. Not only did she get nicked, but she had walked right into it! If she could've moved her arms to slap herself she would've.

Her head snapped up, causing her great pain. There was noise. She was sure of it. She wanted to hear it again. As time lapsed longer and longer and no noise alerted her ears, she started to fall into her fatigue. Her eyelids fell and her head lolled to the side. Her hair fell in front of her face in clumps, dirty from the mud in the tunnel. But-!

The noise, the glorious, awful noise and returned again. At first she only heard footsteps. They echoed madly outside her room. Since she had been sitting in such utter silence the din pained her to listen to. Then to her dismay a new clamor had joined the footsteps. She heard a set of footsteps and then a scrap on the floor. Steps, scrap. Steps, scrap. Steps, scrap. The scrap always lasted so much longer than the footsteps. It was impossibly loud as well, and the high pitch of the scrap hurt her so much she was sure her ears would soon be bleeding. Just as abruptly and as unexpected as it had started, it ended.

But more noise followed it. Sheheard voices. They were speaking at a normal volume but she couldn't understand them. Her head was reeling from the scraping earlier. It was just like when one just feels dizzy even after they had stopped spinning. Her head was pounding and she heard this deafening buzz. For a few joyful minutes the silence had returned and her headache was beginning to ebb. The doorknob squeaked and the door clicked open. Her head exploded.

* * *

"So how many is that now?" Harry was tapping her chin with his forefinger. His eyes were fixed on the wall were a door would open if they could figure out the correct phrase.

"104," Draco rattled off without a blink. He was sitting on the floor opposite Harry. He had stolen a quill and a piece of parchment from a younger student, probably a third year. All of this, unbeknownst to Harry. He had written all the key phrases and was trying to think of every way to re-arrange the words to gain entrance.

"Ahh!" Harry punched the wall of out sheer frustration. "Bloody hell! That hurt," he breathed out in pain.

"Well, I guess Ginny learned that from you," Draco stated amused. "She pulled that move on one of the doors to the girl's lavatory a while ago. Her hand blew up and bruised considerably."

Harry laughed. Draco joined in. Their laughter turned to somberness when they remembered the situation. "Do you think she's ok?" Harry whispered.

"I'd love to say yes. But you and I both know the answer to that," Draco said dejectedly. Then an idea struck him. "Who said that this room had to involve Ron at all? Maybe he just got stashed in with someone else's need. I mean, how suspicious would it be for Mary to ask for a prison or the like?" Draco stood up.

"Very." Harry's eyes lit up. They were back to beginning but at least they were on the right track now.

"So, what are the clubs this year? I really don't have any idea for their names. I always thought them to be so trivial."

"That's irony for you eh? Hmm…There's the endless fan clubs. Dragons, mermaids, horntoads," Harry listed off, counting on his fingers as he did so.

A/N: Okay, so there's more to this story. Much more. But I really needed to give you guys a chapter. So, should I get this story to a good nub and then make a sequel? I'm not so sure. So, you guys reading will have to review.


	33. Shimmer to Stone

A/N: Thank you!

Disclaimer: Sigh, I disclaim…only because I have no time to put up a fight. Too much to write

Ch. 33

Her sight was blurred, her head pounded. At every other second her heart skipped a beat. The light above started to blink fast and she felt her eyes fall back in their sockets. Her legs responded by thrashing in their bonds. Her chest began to quake soon after. Her teeth came slamming down on her tongue. She could taste the blood pooling in her mouth and she felt it trickle down her chin. From very far away she heard a few shouts. Just as it had begun, she calmed down. As she tried to recover from whatever the hell that was, a person came up close to her.

He lifted up her eyelid and shone a bright light in one eye, then after a few seconds he repeated the move on the other eye. "Okay," was all he said. He walked out of sight, but he didn't leave the room. Another man entered. She couldn't see him all to well due to the dots floating in front of her eyes. She noticed a strange sensation originating on her chin and then continuing into her mouth. She looked down, a movement that would've been impossible a second ago, and saw that the blood was gone. She rubbed her tongue against the roof of her mouth, it too was clean of blood and the cut had disappeared. Also her insufferable neck pain was cured.

"That's better."

She tried to ask who was there but she found that she couldn't talk. Her mouth could move but she couldn't form sentences or even coherent thoughts. Her mind was foggy and dull. She tried to just to scream and even that usually booming sound came out as an awkward squeak.

"You won't be able to talk for a little bit. You screamed quite a bit during that last seizure of yours."

Questions formed in her mind but she couldn't finish them before another popped up. She could only sit there and listen lamely.

"You are doing surprisingly well. But right now you need to be inspected." POP.

She wasn't on a chair any more. The chair had transformed into a metal table, her bonds were gone. Just as she thought it the man told her to not even bother. Besides, he reasoned, where would she get? The door? It was hardly worth it she was told. She also found she was far too tired to even move all that much anymore.

The other man with the light came back. She could see his face. He was tan (possibly Indian) and his face was pot marked. He had small frame, and his clothes seem to fall of his body. He had his hair up in a ponytail but the hair was very thin so the clump was small. When the light hit it just right, it seemed to shimmer. His eyes trailed down her body. He crossed his arms on his chest and thought for a second. Making up his mind he started at the bottom of her body. She looked down as far as she could to see what was going on. When she did, she saw she was in her school uniform, and became quite confused. But, she couldn't even try to figure out that thought any further as her mental fog swallowed it up.

He lifted up her calves to see the bottom of her feet. Without hesitation he grabbed gauze from behind her, where she assumed was a work table. Also he rubbed on ointment that didn't soothe at all. It stung something awful, but when she went to pull her foot back he held strong keeping her in place. He did the same on the other foot, which apparently had cuts on it.

Once done with that he dropped the legs down to the table and inspected her ankles. The skin there was rubbed raw from the harsh bonds of earlier. More gauze and more awful ointment were used there. He finished that and continued up her calves. They were fine, or just not bad enough for treatment. He got to her knees and then stopped. He looked behind her, where the other man was standing overseeing. After receiving a head nod from the other man, the inspection continued. To her surprise and embarrassment the man lifted up her skirt.

"Hey!" Her voice had returned, but it was very hoarse and she didn't recognize it as her own.

"He is a doctor," the man behind her said serenely. "Don't worry,"

That wasn't reassuring at all. Even if he was a doctor she was now lying on a table with her skirt lifted up and her bloomers for everyone to see. Her face reddened and felt as if it was on fire.

"Modesty…something new and different around here," the man behind her commented with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Her thighs were fine as all in the room could see. The man pulled down her skirt, thankfully. He then pressed his two fingers on her lower, much lower (almost indecently so), abdomen. She knew what he was checking for, a hernia. Luckily she was fine and his hands quickly left her body. Then he unbuttoned her top. She couldn't stop him and she became embarrassed beyond belief for a second time.

He pressed on her stomach, she was fine but it was very difficult to fight back the giggles. She was fiercely ticklish. Once done he buttoned her back up. And he felt her neck, checking the muscles there. She felt his thumb on her chin pulling her mouth open. He shone his light in. That was fine as well. His hand went around the back of her head and pressed in some choice spots. The last one he pressed, being directly behind her head, caused her to let out a yelp of pain.

"Bruised?" The man behind her called out.

The tan man nodded. He scribbled some things down on a clipboard that had seen better days. He left, scraping the work table behind him. It took him a much shorter time than earlier, pleasingly. The other man hadn't left though. He was still there.

"Well, now that's done." POP.

She was back on a chair. This one wasn't as awful as the one before. But the bonds had returned. However, they were cloth and were quite loose. "Who," she began as he mind started to clear.

"Just a friend," was all he said. He walked out in front of her; she didn't recognize him at all. "I suppose the 'where' is next?"

She nodded dumbly.

"I was told you were bright. Having that in mind I can assume that you know very well where you are." He was young. Mid-twenties or so. He had dark blue eyes with strands of gold spanning out from the pupil. His chestnut hair was neat and excellently hidden underneath was a scar that ran across the crown of his head.

"So, 'a friend' would kidnap me?" She asked maliciously. She had returned.

He chuckled, finding something about her question funny. "Well, I'll be your friend on the inside."

"Just what is this place?" She fidgeted trying, in vain, to gain circulation to her bum, for it was quickly falling asleep. This chair was better in the fact that it had a back, but the hardness was the same as the one of earlier.

"Well…It's a facility of sorts. I can see that you are recovering. I wish you could've seen yourself when you arrived here." He kept his eyes on hers and it soon became an intimidating connection. She wouldn't back down though.

"When was that?"

"That's irrelevant," he waved his hand as he dismissed the question.

"So, I guess all that's left is, 'the why.'"

He smiled. "Correct. But that's a different story for a different time."

The stare became too intense and she looked down. "Great," she mumbled.

He knelt down so he was eye level. "Oh, don't be that way. You don't have it so bad here. And, I promise, it does it get better. All you have to do-"

She cut him off, "is to cooperate?" She sneered.

He smirked and patted her on the arm, "exactly."

She furrowed her brows and was silent for a minute. "This is strange," she uttered lowly.

He stood up, sifted his weight to the left and crossed his arms over his chest. "How so?"

"You're being nice. It's weird is all." Ginny had thought that captors were violent, explosive people. But this man was understanding and seemed genuinely interested in her well being. It was very far from what she expected.

He sighed, "Well," he turned around to the door and turned the knob. He was halfway out when he looked back and said, "normal is boring."

* * *

"Anything?" Draco shouted across the room.

Harry was about to open his mouth and answer in frustration, 'no.' However, he tripped over a box and his head collided with the floor.

Draco heard the noise, "Oh, damn it Potter." Draco swore that this school was just all too abundant with idiots. When he got to Harry he was still on the ground. "What the hell is the matter with you?" Draco kicked him 'gently.'

Harry didn't move.

"Oh, c'mon you bas-" Draco began. His mouth snapped shut when he followed Harry's eyes to the floor. Lying there, motionless and ghastly pale was member two of the Dream Team. Even Ron's normally blazing red hair seemed to have a white hue to it. His eyes were open, glossed over as if there were made of glass. His arms stretched out awkwardly from his sockets reaching into oblivion. "Whoa."

Harry gulped and got to his knees. Draco leaned over grabbed Ron's feet as Harry got his head. The two of them carried him out of the room. Maybe it was because of the gravity of the situation, maybe it was their fear, or maybe it was even out of reverence, the Pride of Gryffindor and the Prince of Slytherin walked in silence.

The both knew where they were going. Each step was perfectly in line with the other. Ron's lame body was moved smoothly without even the slightest bump. Not many were out in the castle's hallways this time of day on a Saturday. The ones that were there kept themselves busy outside or elsewhere. However, Hogwarts was a large school, there was inevitably going to be some students out meandering through the corridors. Two older students, one from Ravenclaw and the other from Hufflepuff, saw the frighteningly odd sight. Neither Draco nor Harry nodded to them or made any note to their existence in any way. They continued walking dead set on their destination.

Their pace slowed until they were finally outside the hard wood door. It was closed, unsurprisingly. Without the convenience of a hand to turn a knob, Draco kicked his foot against the door. The knock was done in such a way that the second and forth knock were hit on the exact same spot with the exact same force. Harry noticed and could tell it was a special sort of code. He knew it just wasn't his paranoia when the door was hastily opened.

* * *

'Normal is boring, normal is boring, normal is boring,' her mind repeated. It could be coincidence. It might be a common phrase from wherever this guy was from.

"Could it?" she asked aloud to her empty room.

It wasn't. It was too perfectly planned. He even hesitated. No one would hesitate when just saying something of no consequence. No, it was meant to be said. It was spoken to peak her curiosity. To keep her mind here, to keep her interested in this place and this man.

"Oh, he is clever!"

"Am I?" a voice echoed in her room. Soon a man appeared from just behind her sightline.

"How long have you been there?" Ginny asked a little jarred and a little disturbed that this man was lurking in her shadows.

"Only just arrived, love," he answered pleasantly. He walked in front of her and popped a chair up into existence. "Your breathing is slightly off," he stated evenly as he removed his hat and soaked coat.

"Well you startled me," Ginny defended.

"Sorry, just got in." He sat down on the chair and made himself comfortable.

"From?" He removed the clothe bonds.

"Aren't we curious," he raised an eyebrow. "Just out for groceries. Kidnappers need bread and eggs too."

Ginny let a smile appear. They obviously didn't keep this guy to make up lies. "So, what do I have to do to get better accommodations?"

"Why? I think this room is quaint," he answered in his naturally, creepy, cheery voice.

"In that moldy, disgusting way." She paused, "not that I'm complaining…" Ginny rolled her eyes.

"No, not that you're complaining." He sighed. "Okay, we'd have to start you," he answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh! Why didn't you say so!"

"Are you sure you were in Gryffindor. That sarcasm comes too easily to you." He found her bit of attitude amusing.

"I guess I've been hanging out with Slytherins too long," she said off handedly.

"You have?" He affected surprise.

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow, "please. I thought you heard I was bright?" The two stared into the others eyes. Ginny didn't back down this time. "I know that you know I've been. I might be flattering myself to think that you've been spying on me for awhile."

"You might at that," he lowered his eyes and began to casually fidget with his hat.

"I might also know that I'm not the all important factor."

"You are smart. I wasn't disappointed at all," he responded very much pleased. The gold in his eyes seemed to shimmer.

"So, what's starting mean?"

"Are you sure you want to find out?" The shimmer disappeared.

"Yes," she answered firmly.

Her friend sighed. Now the gold had lost all allure and resembled the dullness of a stone. He got rid of the chair, sending with it his coat and hat. "There is one thing you should know. Once this begins it can't stop without my say so. I will tell you now that it will take something fatal." He left the room through the door.

As the door softly clicked closed the light went out. She hoped her fear was unfounded.

* * *

"And what is this all about?"

"Look," Draco pushed through the doorway.

No words left the Snape's mouth. His eyes did bug out of his head. "What were you up to!"

"Nothing," Harry answered hoarsely. Snape's head snapped up just noticing Harry there. "We just found him."

"Like this?"

Draco had a nice sarcastic retort ready but knew it was rude and tacky. He kept it to himself and said simply, "yes."

"What is this?" Harry placed his friend on a vacant table while Snape closed and locked the door.

"It is a severe petrifying curse. In this version of the spell the victim is totally stopped, he becomes as if he was frozen, as if dead." Snape explained.

Harry listened amazed. Who could help Mary to do something like this? How could she do it on her on?

"However the spell wears out from the inside out. So, wherever he was struck first is where the spell will wear off and continue outwards." Snape started to look at Weasley's fingers and face.

"What are you doing?" the silent Draco spoke up.

"Trying to find where he was hit." Then Snape started picking through the sick strawberry hair of frozen Ron. He let out a quiet curse.

"What?" Harry asked worried.

"Weasley was struck at the head," he said simply.

"His brain will be reanimated first," Draco started putting it together in his mind. "How long does it take for spell to fade?"

"It fades slowly. When it begins, it takes an hour for just a small square of tissue to come alive. It is a very difficult thing to kill someone and have them come alive again."

"Why don't you just kill them all together at that point?" Draco asked confused.

"Wait! I don't get the problem with the head," Harry admitted.

"What keeps the brain alive Potter?" Draco patronized.

"Uh, blood?"

"Right. What pumps blood?" Snape joined in.

"The heart."

The Slytherins waited for The-Boy-Who-Didn't-Know-Anatomy-From-A-Toad to figure it out.

"….OH! If his brain is alive before his heart he won't get blood to it. Oh, shit," Harry breathed.

"Good grief Potter. That was painful," Snape commented.

"What can you do?" Draco changed the subject.

"This is far beyond my ability. He will have to get to St. Mungo's immediately."

Another dead end.

A/N: so from my one review from the lovely Tanelle I shall continue with the story the way I have been going. This chapter is on the shorter side of things, perhaps with more reviews the chapters will get longer, wink wink….Please Review! Thank you.


	34. Losing the Center

A/N: Sigh, summer is over. I could cry. But luckily for me I have you guys and your reviews to cheer me up. Thanks Freedomfighter393 for both of your reviews, they made me uber happy. Amethyst-rose: it all comes together. MoonlightPrincess: why are the pretty ones always so crazy::single tear: Lovely review. ArticAngelzTx: well, this chapter doesn't really explain it but be patient. I promise it will make sense. Reviews are much appreciated!

Ch. 34. Losing the Center.

He had been sitting there for an hour. His head was down and his back slouched forward. His hands fell helplessly at his sides. Anyone with eyes could see that he was upset. Ron's body lying there on the table didn't help matters. Snape had left a while ago to inform the other teachers. Draco had just stood there, ignoring Harry. He had no idea what to do. What could he do? He was never taught sympathy or compassion. He never received such things either. Except-!

She did. Draco had sat like that. He was in the same sort of place and she had been there. He remembered her delicate nature and courage. Being so open with someone like him was a rather large risk. Under normal circumstances her kindness would be slapped back in her face, but he had received it. He needed it. Just as Potter needed it now. Draco almost wished for her now to help Potter. Almost.

That didn't make him an awful person and it wasn't like he cared. She was his, or in his silent mind, she was. He wouldn't offer her to him. Potter had enough anyway, he didn't need her. 'I need her!' he thought. His heart stopped. He had admitted it. After thousands of silent arguments he had with himself he finally accepted his feelings.

However, that didn't make her any closer nor did it help the present situation. He snapped back into the here and now. His mind began to think quickly; Potter wasn't his favorite person but she would want him to help. He would suck it up and do it for her.

Draco walked over to corner that Potter had chosen to sulk in. It was diagonal from the door and centered in the path was his best mate, frozen. Several soothing breaths later Draco squatted down. "You really shouldn't," was all he could say. He knew Potter understood.

"I can't help it. All that my mind is doing is thinking. What if we can't get him to St.Mungo's? What if they can't help him? What if this, what if that?" Harry's words were rushed and weighed with worry.

"You must push the thoughts from your mind. You have to be calm. Panic makes matters worse, you should know that." Draco tried to make eye contact but Harry kept his head down.

A moment passed then Harry's head rose. "Look at him. Just bloody look at him!" Harry screamed. "If he can't get help then this is pretty much how he will be from now on. I don't want to loose my friend." Harry was pulling at his hair.

"Then don't," Draco responded quite simply.

"I can't conquer this. I'm afraid no one can." Harry slowly lowered his head.

"Forget that you're afraid."

"How the hell can I do that?" Harry asked frustrated.

"Ron is out of your control. Ginny isn't." Their eyes met. Cold silver soothed tumultuous green.

Starting. To start. The process of initiating a new event. Initiation. Maybe. Ginny was trying to figure out why this painful bullshit of 'starting' was referred to as such. Right now she was on a break. Or at least she guessed she was. In actuality she could be in some psycho- psychotic, drug induced dream while her body was still being ravaged with electrical shots.

Or maybe she was in a dream all along. Maybe she still hadn't woken up from her deep slumber of Christmas break. Even further still! She was still asleep from summer. Tomorrow was the first day of school! She must get prepared. Most likely, she hadn't packed yet. Alas, it didn't matter. She would have to ride this awful dream out until her eyes focused on reality.

Reality. The quality or state of being actual or true. Well what is actual? What is true? Truth is objective. To her the truth is that the August issue of Teen Witch Weekly was a piece of crap but that wasn't the truth for Harry, who happened to think that the swimsuits advertised weren't trashy at all. And actuality. Actuality is what one accepts as their truth. If she accepts that green is a prettier color than red then that makes it her truth. If then it is her truth it is her reality.

So, if her actuality was that she was _actually_ in her bed sleeping off her last summer's night rather than being strapped to a mighty uncomfortable chair then the bed is her truth. So it is true for her that she is asleep in her bed. Her reality is that she is asleep in her house. Therefore there is no way that what she experiencing now is nothing more than an intense dream.

But-!

There was him. If logic tells her that this is a dream then that means so is her relationship with Draco. If that is a complete fabrication then the reality is that he has noting to do with her and probably enjoys it that way. Which that can not be true because she knows it.

No! She doesn't know it. There is no way of knowing anything. She can feel it. Deep down inside of her she can feel her heart jump when seeing him, or how it beats faster when she talks to him, and how she calms down at night thinking of him. Her emotions tell her the direct opposite of her logic. What is she to trust?

She understands that either way she can manipulate the facts to support her theory. She can figure things out all the way down to: her love defies her reality. Or, she can narrow it down to definitions and follow them accordingly. On the one hand there is safety with reason. Sleeping in her bed is a lot less riskier than prancing around with Draco Malfoy. But on the other hand her feelings for him run so strong and so deep that even the safety of her house and home have no more luster than a dull rock.

So, is there a debate then?

Now. Now she has decided that, yes she is kidnapped, yes she is stuck in that damnable chair and yes she is 'starting.' But, no she will not wonder about her reality again, no she will not doubt her rescue, and no, no she will not capitulate.

As her rush of emotions finally crashed over her the door to her reality opened. Waking up from her unconscious she saw that she was anything but on a break. Her 'friend' on the inside was in a much heated argument with another man. He was tall, he was fit, and he was facing the opposite direction. She could see his back, which didn't offer much of an opportunity to decipher who the person was. Deciding that eavesdropping would provide more clues she closed her eyes and pretended to be under again.

"-certainly not!" her friend screamed as she caught the end of his sentence.

"Oh, stop acting you boob!" The other man quipped. He turned around and walked up to Ginny, who still had her eyes closed. "She's fine, you see? Everything will be fine."

"I guess she will have to be now," her muttered under his breath.

"Shouldn't she be awake?"

"I don't know. I've never disrupted the THSD process."

"Oh BFD."

Her friend let out a growl of sorts.

"Well, then…" He put his face real close to hers. Sat there for a second and then he lightly tapped her check. Nothing. "C'mon w-" he began.

Ginny came around, again. She moaned. Then she fluttered her eyelids open. She took in the sight. She couldn't believe her eyes. "You!" she blurted out.

"Me." Standing before her was none other than Lucius Malfoy.

"What's going on!" She demanded.

"Feisty one, isn't she." Lucius sneered. Ginny wanted to vomit.

She looked to her friend, "what's he doing here?"

His eyes were as stony as before. "He pays for some of this."

"Ahem," Lucius coughed.

"Most of this. Let me explain-" he began.

"No, no. I'll explain," Lucius jumped in.

Ginny's pleading eyes looked over to her friend. He silently understood and walked over to Lucius. "Let me just give her a little bit of an overview…alone," he tried to whisper.

With a backwards glance Lucius agreed and left the room. "5 minutes." He shouted back.

"You said all I had to do was cooperate." Ginny stated.

"I know."

"And everything would get better," she continued.

"I know," he said softer.

"This is not better. This is worse. This is far worse. I can't imagine this being what you promised." Her anger increased.

"I know," he said softer still.

"What's this all about?"

"Just sit and listen. Don't act out and don't be cute. Don't, especially, be a smart ass," he told her forcefully. The volume of his voice frightened her, she had never heard him this way. "I am being incredibly easy on you. He most certainly won't. Got it?"

She refused to reply.

He knelt in front of her, trying to make eye contact. He couldn't, she looked away. He gave up and sighed. "I know this is awful of me, love." The door slammed open.

"Time's up," Lucius stated pompously.

"I know. I'm going." Her friend gave her a quick smile, turned around and left.

The door shutting behind him reverberated in Ginny's mind. She was alone.

"Pay attention to what I'm saying Weasley. I hate having to repeat myself."

She sat still and stared at the door behind him.

They had dropped Ron off at Madame Pomfrey's and she immediately called St. Mungo's. Rumors were already starting and with a ferocity newly experienced to Harry and Draco both. One was that in a rage Draco killed Ron, the other was that Harry killed Ron. The third was that Ron killed himself. Right now these and many other things were just too hard to think about for Harry who instead took Draco's advice.

"So, what now?" Draco asked as they left the Hospital Wing.

"We should probably tell Mr. and Mrs. Weasely," Harry answered dejectedly. "Mr. Weasely is at the Ministry, we could floo over there," he suggested. He started off to the Gryffindor Tower but he stopped when he saw Draco standing next to him. "Uh, maybe I should go alone."

Draco understood. The Weasely's didn't take too kindly to him and they had every rite to not. But this was above some stupid feud. "No. I'm coming."

"I don't think you understand," Harry said tentatively.

"You don't understand." He stopped himself. He almost let it out to Potter. He had almost told him. He took a second and couldn't come up with anything better. "I'm coming."

Harry could tell by the stern look on his face and the hardness of his tone that come hell or high water Draco was coming with him. This should be interesting, Harry thought.

It was a silent walk to the Tower. Neither would talk, neither wanted to, neither possessed the need. They saw students stare at them and whisper. They saw some stop in their tracks and walk to the other way. They saw others still that insisted they know what was going on. One such student was Harry's favorite person in the world: Colin Creevy.

Snap! A light bulb flashed. "That'll be a good one!" Colin stated excitedly.

The bright light had no affect on Harry who was quite used to piercing whiteness. Draco, however, had little dots hovering in his vision and he blinked madly to try to get rid of them.

"Colin. I'm only going to tell you once." Harry said gravely. "Don't bother us."

Colin lowered his head. "I'm sorry…."

"But?" Harry knew it was coming.

"But I heard Ginny's gone missing. I just wanted to ask you but then I saw you with Malfoy and the lighting was perfect and your faces were so stone I just had to take a picture. I'm sorry," he rushed that middle part but the apology was sincere.

Harry had forgotten that Colin was a friend to Ginny and Draco didn't know at all. The farther this investigation went the less Draco seemed to know about her. He vowed to change that when this was all over. 'How can I know so little but feel so much?' He wondered internally. After this thought he wondered how he ever became so emotional, he almost missed being unattached to the world…almost.

"I'm sure she would appreciate your concern but right now Colin we can't be interrupted. Okay?" He softened his tone realizing how harsh he was earlier.

"Okay. If you need me," Colin offered. He knew he was pretty useless to them but why not ask.

"I know where to find you. Bye." Harry nodded his head and walked off.

Draco began to follow but Colin grabbed his shoulder. "I hope your not playing with her."

Draco turned around and stood a head taller than poor little Colin. But Colin looked pretty tough and hard at the moment. "Excuse me?" He asked actually hurt.

"You hear me, Malfoy. She really likes you and for the life of me I can't see why. So, you better not be toying with her, and you better have some genuine feelings other than lust for her," he lectured. A staring contest ensued but it was broken up by Harry.

"C'mon!" His yell echoed down the corridor.

"Coming," Draco said still staring down at little Colin whose eyes were like slits and his face as flushed. For a small kid he had a hot temper. Draco left the contest and caught up with Harry.

"What was _that_ about?" Harry looked over to see if Draco's face could offer any clues.

"Nothing," Draco lied.

"No, I don't think it was," Harry pressed.

"Potter, if I wanted to tell you, I would've. So drop it."

"I'm not dumb ya know? I'm also not blind. Colin doesn't freak out on everybody." Harry decided that he would have to ask Draco now. A better time certainly wasn't about to pop up. "Draco," he stated using Malfoy's first name in a long while. "Is there something going on between you and Ginny?"

"Why do you care?" Draco put up all his walls. Who the hell did Potter think he was?

"Because, I do. And it seems that you do too."

"Look! This isn't the time for this." Draco stopped walking.

Harry turned and faced him. "It isn't? Not only are you going to enter the Ministry of Magic with me but you're going to Mr. Weasely's office to tell him his son is fatally sick and his daughter is kidnapped!"

Draco started walking again, trying to avoid Potter.

"I don't know if you see how odd that all is but Mr. Weasely is probably going to want to know why the hell you even care. So what? We worked together. What does that have to do with his children?" Harry explained in a high voice riddled with reason.

"Well, I'll just come up with another cause to be there." Draco didn't slow down.

"Why are you going? Why would you even care?" Harry stayed where he was.

"Because, Potter. I'm her friend. Hasn't she told you that?" He snapped.

"Yes, but a friend would do what Colin did. A friend would worry but stay out of the way. You, however, seem to be doing just the opposite." Harry knew, he just wanted to hear Draco say it.

"You know, Potter. Why do you need me to tell you when you already know?" He shouted.

"Because if you can't say it to me, how in the bloody hell can you say it to her father?" Harry matched his loudness.

"I didn't plan on telling him anything." Then he quickly added. "Not that there's anything to tell."

"What did you plan on doing then? Twiddling you thumbs? Malfoy, you need a better plan than this. If you aren't going to tell her father about you two then what are you going to tell him?"

"Why do you worry so much?" Draco stopped walking then. "That man trusts you with his life. So, I don't think that he'd question your judgment on me. He would be wary but he wouldn't be completely against it."

Draco had made plenty of sense and Harry knew it. Giving up, "Fine," he said and they began to walk again. "To the Ministry of Magic," he stated flatly.

The room somehow got even seedier. It was because he was there. He was standing in front of her. Lucius Malfoy, a person she straight up hated, had her tied to her a chair (which if possible become like sitting nails) and locked in room all alone. To say she was worried was quite the understatement.

"What's this all about?" She asked quietly.

"It's about blood traitors like yourself. You have been the poison in the drink. You have put all your efforts towards putting down your own people." Each word was dripping with malice. Every syllable was hit with a tone of disgust.

Ginny remembered what her friend had told her and decided to keep quiet.

"You're just bursting to interrupt," he said faux amused. "Glad to see you can be tamed."

She dug he nails into the palms of her hands.

"But," he began. "Even with that. You are clean, healthy, with nice features. So on that note you're really not all that bad."

'Umm, what the hell?' Ginny was officially confused. Was that…a compliment? "What are you talking about?"

"Perhaps if you had an ounce of patience you'd see," he snipped. "This starting business is really what I'm talking about. We are fixing your problem," he began.

Ginny didn't mean to but she just blurted out, "what problem?"

Lucius, at his wits end, slapped her across the face. The sound seemed to reverberate around her and explode in her ears. The stinging pain caused her eyes to well up with tears but she quickly blinked them away. He wasn't about to see her cry. "Now will you stop interrupting?"

She didn't answer and kept her head lowered with her hair hiding her face.

"Hmm?"

She nodded.

"Good. You're problem was already explained. You're a traitor to your kind. Now, all we're here to do is to fix it. Soon you will be trustworthy and can enter into your society. Each of us has a purpose and you have a very important one." He walked up to her and towered over Ginny's small figure. "You will attract my wayward son here. As soon as he is done trying to save you and captured he will be put through just the same process you are experiencing. Then he will finally be loyal to his world."

He walked away from her again and continued to speak. "Now, seeing as how he has already has considerable interest in you, I shall have you married to him. Like I said, you're actually a good choice past the traitor business. Once married you shall continue on the Malfoy line," he concluded with an air of cheeriness. "Now you may ask questions."

There were so many! So her secret dream of being with Draco was a possibility. Hell, more than a possibility; at this point it was an inevitability. But she would be married to him? She would have his children? She had never thought it out that far in her head and the thought kind of scared her. Maybe she would be happy with him. But the cost! She was to be cured of her 'sickness.' Just what else of her personality would be affected by this machine? And what aspects of Draco's would be as well? Would she ever remember how she was, how life was? Would she ever be able to reverse it? Could there be a way for her to remember just a little something of her life before it was stolen away? Would she ever be able to reverse the affects of this brainwash? But the most important question to her: "What about my family?"

"Oh well, you're parents are too old and your brothers…hmm…well maybe them too. We are currently in the process of picking those we feel would be useful," he answered serenely and completely missing the point.

She didn't want them to have this TH whatever process done to them! She hoped to Merlin that they wouldn't be useful. She hoped that they could evade this awful machine and somehow even beat it but she wasn't going to hope for too much.

"I guess you're next question would be 'what about your friends?' Well, one of them has already undergone the process, Mary I think her name is. When your finish you can talk to her again." He was picking at his nails.

She felt like all the air in her lungs was sucked out. Not Mary. It couldn't be her. He misspoke. She trusted Mary with her life. But then again that's probably why she's stuck here. If Mary was the traitor than what happened to Ron? Did she leave him alone or did she bring him here too? "What about Ron then?"

"Oh he is that last person we want for this." Lucius crumpled up his nose as if he smelt the inside of bum's shoe. "He would serve no purpose and this does cost a pretty galleon I'll have you know." He paused as the thought just occurred to him. "This is quite the compliment, consider yourself flattered," he dictated with his usual air of superiority. "Well, that's enough of explanation. You need to get better quickly so I will go." His boots made a soft click on the floor and their noise slowly receded out of her mind.

Her consciousness of was lost. The electric shoots started up once more.

A/N: so? What do we think? Good, I hope. Dreadfully sorry for the late update. School + Work Hell. Leave me reviews! They make me happy!...more importantly to you, they make me update!


	35. Scarred Time

A/N: …..life.

Some mumbled curse had been thrown at her; that was usual. She was surprised that a wad of spit hadn't hit her. How such simple things amazed her now. She hadn't seen her friend in a very long time. She figured he was dead.

She was dead. Or might as well be. Every day was another war waged on her mind. Nothing made sense anymore. Lucius was Satan. From the first day, he was the end of Ginny.

She laughed remembering that first run in. It was long ago, maybe. She lost tract of time. It was irrelevant. She was told something that wasn't so bad. She was embarrassed to even remember that. The supposed marriage. Her face blushed. A voice laughed.

She stuck her tongue out to no one. They watched her constantly now. The man behind the booth was someone she hadn't met yet; Lucius was far too busy to be there all the time. But anyway, back to the first meeting. Since then she had been told she was worthless, ugly, a rat, the scum of the Earth and things of that nature. Then out of nowhere Lucius would be nice, in his way at least. He would be the Lucius of the first meeting. She didn't know when he would be that way or why.

It was ruining her mind. To be told different things all at different times. She couldn't handle having Lucius laugh at her in his sick way but it was a waste of effort to fight back.

They had stopped the painful 'starting' process. She now had a cell with a bed and a bucket. It was the same room actually. There was no light. Nothing had color. She missed her room desperately. She still clung to that.

Steps! "Shit," she dove for her bed and faced the wall pretending to be asleep. It didn't matter. They would wake her up anyway. The door scraped open and the light from the hallway poured in, momentarily illuminating her opaque world. She had her eyes closed, and missed it. A tear ran down her dirty check. She couldn't remember the last time she had showered.

"Girl!" The voice yelled. It wasn't Lucius. She let out a sigh but didn't respond. "WENCH!" he threw the tray and it violently hit the wall. The door slammed closed and Ginny jumped up from the bed.

Her food was all over the floor. She ate the bread hastily and scraped up the thick cornmeal mixture from the floor. It was disgusting. She was starving. She wiped her mouth clean. No water today. That had been lost to the floor.

Some time later (5 minutes, an eternity who knows?) Lucius arrived. She was actually asleep and didn't notice him approach her bed. His eyes were boring into her skull. Suddenly he exploded with energy and ripped the thin sheet she used for a blanket off her. "Do you think this is some bloody game?" He screamed.

Ginny bolted up and pressed herself into the corner. "What do you-" she was silenced by slap across the face. Her eyes welled up with tears but she tried to hold them back.

"Look at you! Those tears only make you look more pathetic." He had a fever about him this time. Something had gotten in to him. Some idea, some notion and it meant all hell for Ginny. "What did you tell him?"

She was silent.

Another slap. He grabbed her by her bony shoulders, "Just what the bloody hell do you tell him!"

"I, I, I don't know what you mean," she managed to say.

Lucius sneered at her. Mockingly he said, "You, you, you, don't know what I mean." He sighed and thena moment later, his cool voice reasoned softly,"Of course not! You're just a stupid Weasley. How would you know?"

She stayed quiet. His grip was tightening. She would have some pretty fierce bruises. He was searching her eyes, her mind. Even in her own mind she could be watched. Slowly he let go of her. "I suppose you don't." He walked out.

Ginny sighed and used the end of her ratty shirt to wipe away the tears. She hated them. The man in the booth laughed. She flipped him off but it didn't matter. He would never see it, the room was too dark. She started to wonder why then was he there? Not having the energy to think about it any longer, Ginny went back to sleep.

tImE pAssEs

Ginny was never allowed to know what time it was. Everything happened in an instant and it only took that long to wait for. She wasn't allowed any sort of outside (nor inside) media. Not the Quibbler, nor the Daily Prophet nor even (to her great annoyance) Teen Witch Weekly. She hadn't been outside her cell since she awoke there who knows how long ago. The distortion of time was what made her confused the most. To keep her confused was a way to keep Ginny weak but damn it she wasn't going to stay that way.

Ginny sat on the upper part of her bed where the pillow lied. She leaned her back on one wall and her side on the other in a sort of fetal position. Most of her time was spent here. This is where she maintained the little bit of her sanity by drawing on the concrete wall. The fools that fed her gave her a metal spoon once, and after her meal she kept the spoon. Theend oppositeof theconcaveside was made fairly sharp by her scraping it against the wall. Like when a hard rock is run across a soft one, it made a white trail. So in her dark, dank cell, she created works of art that she would rarely see. But it didn't matter, because she could see them in her mind. Faith, in herself and others, was all she had.

Presently, she was reminiscing. She was thinking about the beginning of school, and about Winter Break. After a while she tried to remember everything that had happened here. Firstly, she had her feet bandaged, then came the talk about starting with her friend and then with Lucius. After that was a potpourri of events. Seeing as how she had nowhere to go and nothing to do she began the daunting task of organizing said events chronologically. After spending what seemed a dreadful amount of time she became severely frustrated and punched the wall.

"Shit!" she hissed in pain. 'Well, that was dumb,' she silently chided herself. She got out of her bed and walked to the door. Due to cheap building, the floor of the cell was uneven and this condition was very pronounced at the door where one side was 2 ½ centimeters deeper than the other. Thusly, this discrepancy allowed a puny stream of light in. Ginny brought her hand to the light and saw that she had scraped all of her knuckles minimally but had a deep cut on her pointer finger.

Going back to her bed, while sucking her finger, she stopped dead in her tracks. The cut was deep enough to cause a scab. Scabs took time to heal. By the looks of this scab, it would be there for a week, maybe. By this way, she figured, is how she would measure the time! She rushed to her bed and grabbed the spoon from the inside of her pillow. Slowly and carefully she carved a Roman numeral one above the cut. As she watched the blood slowly ooze from the one, Ginny began to laugh, "Now I know the time you bastards," she whispered.

TiMe PaSSeS

She was awoken by a piercing buzzer. Rolling on to her side that faced the tech's booth, she flipped the man off. He would do this to her periodically through her sleep. Waking her up just because he knew she needed to sleep. Sleep depravation is an excellent way to confuse someone. It didn't matter; she wanted to be awake anyway. She was excited about her drawing. A bit ago, when she had fallen asleep originally, her door was opened fully. And the entire wall was lit up. She opened her eyes and saw her work. It was sloppy and not symmetrical at all but she found it was amazing. The first portion was very shaky and the lines were bumpy. But as the drawing progressed on the writing became smooth and almost even. She couldn't analyze it for too long, the door closed. Strangely no one came in.

She traced her finger over the drawing, remembering every bit in perfect detail. Amide all this derangement she found a small slice of happiness. She was interrupted by a violent cough. She coughed into her elbow and spit out the mucous in her bucket. She was almost entirely sure she had Bronchitis and planned on letting Lucius know the next time she saw him by letting out a loud one.

Settling back into her bed she looked at her hand, where her first scab was, now practically gone. She reckoned that she would have to make her cuts deeper so they could scar. And if she would do this, then she would have to cut somewhere out of normal view. Ginny grabbed her spoon and went to work starting with her feet. But, because her shoes and socks had gone long ago, her feet were coarse and the skin was too thick. Taking a moment, she thought of other places out of view. She lifted her skirt up and rotated her leg. The skin on the inside of her leg was perfect. It was thin, it was delicate, and it would scar easy enough. On top of which, if she kept her legs together, even when totally naked, no one would see the inside of her thighs.

Going to the wall, she picked a spot away from her drawing and sharpened the end. She propped herself against the wall and placed her left leg on her right knee. Then she carved a small, deep, Roman numeral two. Compared to what she had previously endured, this was nothing; so she didn't even flinch when the cold, sharp spoon penetrated the warm, soft skin of her thigh.

Not too long after, the door opened. It was Lucius and it was about the only time Ginny was sort of happy to see him. She would have to bring up her cough. Lucius, however, had a different agenda. He walked to her bed and stood in front of her. His frame looked only the more imposing by the backlighting.

"Here." He shoved his hand into her chest.

Ginny looked down and saw a round something in it. She took it, as told, and found it to be a muffin. Why the hell would he give her a muffin?

"Even a Weasley knows what a muffin is. Eat."

She ripped a part off and ate it. It was delicious! But, then again, anything would be delicious to her at that point after all the damn cornmeal she was served. Without thinking she said, "Thank you."

Lucius raised his eyebrow and responded, "Well, well, even after all of this you still remember your manners."

She didn't know if this was good or bad. She didn't care and continued to eat her muffin.

Lucius watched her and then his attention turned to the wall. "And what do we have here?" He grabbed the head of the bed and pushed it towards the other wall. Ginny nearly fell off in the process. He stepped up, with his nose barely a millimeter away. "Eh, Weasely?" Just as she was about to answer, Lucius warned, "Do not lie to me."

"I get bored," she answered boldly.

His eyes turned away from the wall to her. "No quiver in your voice? No downward casting eyes? Not even the slightest hesitation?" He paused and leaned down to her face. She held his stare. After a moment he clicked his tongue, "You should know that it is rude to stare, Weasley. So much for your manners."

Not having the stamina to compete with him she lowered her eyes, "Sorry."

He stood up, "That is much better!" He began to walk away and Ginny promptly remembered what she wanted to say. She forced herself to cough and it did turn out to be a deep one. Lucius stopped and turned. "So your sick, eh? Perhaps that explains your audacious behavior."

* * *

"You ready?"

The normally red hue of the fire was now an emerald green. And with that strange light, Draco's face seemed to contort in a way to make him look very tired. Harry knew it was only because of the light. He stared into the embers in the fire that were well on their way to becoming ashes. He was pulled away from his fixation as Draco's voice asked (in a slightly annoyed voice) "Are. You. Ready?"

Harry took a breath and looked up at Draco. "Honestly, no." He took a second as Draco backed away from the fire place and they both notice the floo powder run out as the fire became red again.

"Okay." Draco turned around and plopped down on the adjacent chair. "What's up your dress, Potter?" A moment later, before Harry could answer, he added. "Please remember we are wasting time here."

Harry clenched his teeth, "I know. It's just that this…isn't a good idea."

Draco sighed and rose from the chair, "Merlin, Potter! Haven't we beaten this into the ground, already? Weasley trusts your judgment."

Harry said nothing. He looked at Draco trying to hide his thoughts. Draco had good practice at reading blank faces, however,so Harry had lost before he had even started.

"Oh, I see." Draco had adopted his usual icy manner. "You're good Potter. All this time I thought that you got over that sophomoric bullshit." He turned his back.

"No, that's not-" Harry began.

Draco turned around, "That is what this is!" His words were explosive and painfully true. "You don't trust me, STILL! Even after all the things I've done, all the crap I went through!" His steel eyes were bursting with hurt andincredulity.

"Draco, calm down." Harry tried to reason with him. But even he knew there was no reasoning with a guy with abruised pride. Trust was a tricky issue with, apparently, everyone.

Draco stepped up to Harry face, not even a meter away. "Don't," Draco laughed, "just don't."

"Look, I just can't let you come with me if you won't even admit the most obvious thing. Stop making this all my fault, and my doing. If you would get over yourself, Malfoy, then we would be well on our way to the Ministry," Harry returned in a voice so collected it was almost eerie.

Draco laughed, knowing full well what Harry meant. "How about taking your own damn advice, there Potter!"

"I've already admitted that had a bit of an ego, and I've already had to swallow my pride!" Harry answered, looking at Draco like he was idiot.

Now, it was Drano's turn to give Harry the 'you're and idiot' look. "That's, not what I meant." This was followed by his signature smirk.

* * *

A/N: It's short, I know. But it had to been done this way. Plus, you guys really needed an update. I had you worried. Just keep reading, I promise this isn't a poorly thought out idea. THANK YOU SOO MUCH!

MoonlightPrincess: I know! How weird is that? Please, bear with me, however painful. You're very appreciated.

Not so sour Lemons: Sorry about the extreme lateness of this update. Life kind of beat the shit out of me. But anyways, thank you for liking my story and for reviewing.

Next update: Methinks that next update will arrive during my Christmas break which is two weeks from now. Hopefully. If reviewed this goal WILL be met.

Love!


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